


Boarish Company

by rock_lee



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2018-09-02 11:36:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8666059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rock_lee/pseuds/rock_lee
Summary: He was nothing short of a beast. She showed him kindness, but he knew her heart trembled at the sight of him.She was nothing short of an angel. He bared his fangs, but she knew his heart trembled at the sight of her.[ a beauty and the beast zelgan au! | slow burn but not too slow ]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always welcome and i hope you enjoy! i plan on updating twice a week if i can lmao

Zelda wasn't selfish. She was kind, reserved and most importantly, she understood what it meant to be dignified. She wasn't like her sisters. They whined and complained. They craved silks and exotic goods like a parched man needs water. They were rude and conniving, but played the game of court well. They were the perfect picture of spoilt royalty. 

Zelda was not. She knew her role and as the oldest, she knew it was her duty to protect her country from people like them. Her father thought the same - he spent many nights teaching his eldest how to be the ruler of the people. He raised her as well as he could. He would let her leave with servants who went to the market every morning, knowing she would need to experience the people who would one day turn to her. He needed her to understand the lower class as much as the upper class. She had grasped at an early age that they were her people and they all mattered equally, no matter how fine their clothes. 

"Only a week?" She questioned softly in the study as he worked to clasp his cape on.

"Lord Farlor trusts me to be swift in finalizing the treaty. His trade vessels will be coming in soon. They demand his full attention."

Besides his eldest, his youngest scowled. "The presence of a king does not? What a little-" 

King Daphnes raised his hand to quiet his child. Raliva puckered her lips. "The man makes a living supplying us with goods from across the sea. The silks you are so fond of are here because of his hard work. I will not keep the man from the work that sustains us."

Raliva rolled her eyes and slouched against the small couch. "Well," his other child Othell started, voice unpleasantly pitched as if she was to start whining any second, "if you wishes you to leave him so soon, he should offer gifts."

"Othell-" Zelda murmured, brows drawn in ever so slightly. 

"Oh yes!" Raliva squealed, "I would like a new dress! Of the finest silk!"

Daphnes stared stony faces as his other daughter added her request. "The sweetest chocolates he has! Oh, the chocolates we have here don't compare!" Othell gushed, clasping her hands around Raliva’s arms, holding her from her spot beside her on the couch, “Oh! How I love the fancy truffles!” 

He shook his head is defeat. “Of course my darlings. I will ask Lord Farlor if I may bring my daughters back gifts.” The youngest daughters snickered happily, Othell grinned at her father in what could only be described as smug.

“Well, you have no time to spare father. Lord Farlor is rather far!” Othell got up and pulled Ravila with her. The two tittered like annoying birds as they left the study. Zelda stood as well and Daphnes leaned against his desk. 

He squeezed the ledge in exasperation. “They will be the death of me, I swear it.” His eldest laughed softly as she walked to his side. He stood back to his full height when she placed a hand on his arm. 

He turned and she straightened the clasps of his cloak and smoothed the maroon fabric of wrinkles. “They have yet to mature father, you cannot blame them for wanting the world.” Her sweet smile instantly reminded him of his wife. 

He grasped one of her hands. “You sound just like your mother. She spoilt them rotten.” Zelda smiled a little sadder at the mention of the late Queen. Five years had past and they still couldn’t forget her sweet smile and soft words. “Zelda,” he continued, “What do you wish for? Othell will get her chocolates, Ravilia her silks. What do you desire?” 

Zelda blinked up at her father, lips dropping. “Only your safe return. You know I have whatever I want here.” 

Daphnes squeezed her fingers. “Let an old man spoil his eldest. You’re still my child after all.” Zelda tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with her free hand, still looking skeptical. Daphnes sighed. “What about some lovely flowers? Some you have never seen before?”

Zelda hugged her father and murmured. “If it will ease your mind then I would love it very much.” 

He hugged back and chuckled. “If only your sisters were this easy to please.” She laughed as well. In a weeks time, he would bring her back the most beautiful flowers for his most beautiful daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

Now, Zelda was not only the oldest of her sisters, but she was also arguably the most beautiful. Her sisters had taken more after their father, but Zelda was a striking woman who had been blessed with her mother's goddess-like traits. Sky blue eyes, long lashes, skin darker than the frail complexion of her father. Dirty blonde hair, long neck, lips as pink as roses. She was the kingdom’s heartthrob. 

And like all siblings, jealousy is a contagious thing. Othell had hated Zelda since she was old enough to see how perfect her sister was. Othell was far from her sister in terms of looks - curling brown hair and brown eyes, short and pale as snow. She was beautiful, yes, but she never could compare to her older sister's beauty. The kingdom of Hyrule favored Zelda over Othell and for that alone Othell hated Zelda. 

Ravila didn’t hate Zelda like Othell did, but the youngest was most certainly a jealous child. She was only fifteen, but she was known to lie about her age to the knights. Zelda always got the attention of the men with her regal air, but little Ravila did not. She wanted to find someone to love for herself. All the suitors that came for Zelda’s hand would come and be rejected, never looking toward the beauty that grew at her sister's side. Ravila was tall and lanky with a thin face, her skin only a smidge lighter than Zelda’s, and alluring dark blue eyes. She had ringlets like her sister Othell, but she wore her hair short to her shoulders. She was beautiful as well, but like Othell, she couldn’t compare next to her older, matured sister.

Zelda, bless her soul, loved her two sisters dearly. They had so much promise to them, yet it was overshadowed by their birthrights. They confined themselves to the castle and balls, never experiencing the streets of Castle Town like she has. They were not versed in the life of a commoner like Zelda was. They were pompous and expected to always sit on the lap of luxury. 

Now, magic had run in the family as well. The two youngest had no talent for it while Zelda could heal with nothing but a kiss. Magic was potent in her blood - her father and mother had been blessed when Zelda revealed she had the magic to heal and inspire growth. The garden was always healthy just like the soldiers in the barracks. 

It was just another thing for the two younger sisters to feel bitter about.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annnd that's the double update!

“Already three days…” Zelda murmured as she inspected a bundle of carrots. Beside her, her life long escort and friend Impa held the basket out to her. 

Zelda placed her selected carrots into the basket and paid the merchant generously. “He must be leaving soon. I entrust the Knights we sent with him.” Zelda hummed softly in agreement. They continued to go about the market at a leisurely pace until their basket was pleasantly filled with a variety of goods. Her coin purse barely felt a change in weight too. 

“Is this enough?” Zelda asked Impa. She always had to tilt her head to look at Impa. The Sheikah was lean and willowy, but her tanned skin was taut with hardened muscle. The woman peered at the basket she carried with her wise eyes. They always seemed to glow with her red irises. 

“It looks like enough to last a week.” Satisfied, they took off down the crowded streets. They mixed in well with her cloaks and plain clothing, but everyone knew when the eldest princess was about. It was almost a ritual to the people - the princess would sneak about early in the morning with her white haired guard, serene and joyous among the merchants and people of her father's kingdom. 

They took a sharp turn into a narrow passage and the sounds of the market grew dim. Instead, the bleak sound of the sick and poor become a persistent echo. It hurt her to hear this, but she did all she could to lift these people when she could. Most were elders or disabled folk who couldn't do honest work to support themselves. Zelda’s routine included tending to those she could. She would heal the ache in the elders joints and feed all she could. 

She passed many rickety shacks and greeted many of the folk who dwelled in them. She had once come down with a few knights to reinforce the homes. They had done well and Zelda didn't mind the callouses that hardened her palms. These people were more important to her than soft hands. 

They stopped at the largest of the shacks and knocked. There was some scrambling and a few children squeals, but eventually the door opened to reveal a child with wide grey eyes. She smiled at him. “Good morning Maric.” 

“Zelda!” The child squealed. Maric wasted no time in wrapping his little arms around her legs in a happy hug. “I missed you! Why can't you come everyday?” 

She laughed and leaned down to engulf Maric in her arms. He leaned into her and latched on. “Elder Solomon was having pains yesterday. I had to spend the other day helping him.”

Maric didn't let go and Zelda stood with the boy balanced on her hip. He wiggled a bit until his head was tucked under her chin and his dirty arms were slung around her neck. “Now, where is your mother hiding?” 

“In here, milady!” A thin and tired young woman came tumbling out of the door, her face scarlet. “I am so sorry! Maric, please, the princess-”

“Relax Jurin,” Zelda cooed, “Maric is a dear friend, as are you. I do not ask that you not to feel like I must be treated any different.”

Jurin blushed even more, the tips of her pointed ears turning an interesting shade of pink. “O-Of course your Highness. Please, both of you, come in. You’re always welcome.” She nodded toward Impa and they all squeezed into the small home. The sounds of two other voices reached their ears and they crossed into the kitchen. Two little girls, no older than ten, were tittering over some marbles as they played on a ground. 

“Hello young misses,” Zelda greeted as Jurin rushed to clear the table for her guests. The two girls, Vaspila and Eria, both looked up with the same big grey eyes as their brother. “Are you playing marbles?” Both the young girls instantly ushered Zelda to sit with them, little Maric still clinging to her. As she sat and played marbles with the children, Impa presented the basket of goods to Jurin. 

“We hope this will be enough for the upcoming week,” Impa spoke low to Jurin, cautious of the children. “If you need more, let us know immediately.”  
Jurin placed her hands on her mouth and gave a soft sob. Impa placed the basket down and enveloped the young woman in her arms. Jurin was a single mother and a widow for only four months. Her husband, a knight, had died in service as the war with Termina had finally come to an end. She had only her children left. She had to move them out of their old home in the center when they could not pay the taxes. 

Impa separated from Jurin to quietly mumble, “Her highness is trying to get you onto the castle staff. She’s still struggling to make the situation work with your children though. We have yet to find a suitable nanny.” Jurin looked up at the warrior in surprise.

“You… you are… finding me work? Hiring me?” Impa nodded and once more, Jurin broke into a happy sob. “You are saints, goddesses themselves. I… I can never repay you for the kindness you give us.” 

Impa squeezed Jurin’s shoulder. “Zelda wishes the best for all her people. You know this.”

Jurin nodded with wet eyes and looked toward Zelda. She was flicking a marble, but her eyes flickered to Jurin, acknowledging that she had heard the conversation. “You hit it right outta the circle!” Eria cried in disbelief. 

Zelda returned her eyes to the game in front of her with a soft smile. “I do try my hardest.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we are with the long update!! hope u all enjoy!!

King Daphnes was tired. On the fifth day the treaty was signed and sealed away so he and his men began the long journey home. It had taken long to get there and when Daphnes shared this with Farlor, the man had suggested a different route toward Hyrule castle. 

It was dangerous, but Daphnes wished to be back home.   
With his carriage packed and their supplies replenished, the group left at dawn on the sixth day. Instead and going around the mountains, they would cut through them and go along the edge of the desert until they reached Ordon providence. It would cut their travelling from four to two days. Or that’s what they hoped. 

With the carriage loaded with gifts for his daughters, Daphnes was content to ride alongside his knights on his own steed. His cape fluttered in the slight breeze. The mountain was an old goron territory, but after it proved too dangerous to keep, they abandoned it for safer communities. This mountain hugged the edge of the Gerudo desert and was once an outpost of theirs. Of course, the Gerudo people had diminished over time. There King had disappeared nearly ten years ago and the people had dispersed into small communities in the desert. 

Daphnes listened to the sound of their movement as it echoed against the walls of towering stone. The path they were taking was an old one carved by the Gerudo long before he was a king. They rode on in the echoing mountain passage walls. 

In the front, the captain slowed his horse with a skeptical tilts of his head. The rest of the men halted as well in confusion. An uneasy silence filled the air with caution. Daphnes placed his hand on the pommel of his sword. 

The only warning that had was a whistle of an arrow before the ambush struck.

Instantly, the men were spurred into action. Bandits made themselves known from their perches on the mountains walls as they slid down the steep drop to engage some of the knights in combat. Daphnes was instantly surrounded with knights. They yelled to each other and Daphnes spurred his horse to make a dash from the fight. The knights followed, but two of the four were knocked from their horses. Another was pierced by two arrows. The captain easily charged past the fray on his steed, Daphnes own followed at a thundering pace. 

“My lord, take the lead!” The captain ordered, sword clenched in his fist. “I will protect your back!” 

Daphnes dug his heel into the horse and the white horse reared in defiance before taking off faster than before. Some of the bandits yelped and jumped out of the way, but Daphnes watched in glee as one was trampled under the massive hooves of his steed. They galloped toward the end of the path where the mountain gave way to a view of the Gerudo Desert. The sound of steel clashing echoed in the walls behind him as the horse reared back. 

The drop down into the desert from the mountain could kill. 

The horse cried out and fumbled at the edge of the mountains face and Daphnes felt fear grip his heart. An archer had struck the flank of his horse.

The mighty steed reared up and stumbled. His fingers gripped the reins until the tanned skin turned bone white. The captain shouted out to him, but it was too late. They fell over the edge and the Kings shout echoed off the walls.

 

\---

 

When Daphnes awoke, he noticed two things. First, he was covered in sand and second, he hurt. His horse was lying beside him and it's side was raising in slow movements. His arm was broken as well for when he tried to push himself up it screamed in protest. His entire left side ached and he no doubt landed on the side when he fell. 

How on earth did he survive? 

The sun blazed hot in the sky and when Daphnes looked up toward the cliff he had fallen off of, he saw nothing but rocks and blue skies. Great. Either all his men were dead or they were sure he hadn't survived the fall. "By the Goddesses," he groaned, grasping his injured arm with his good hand. 

His horse whinnied softly and rolled up at the sound of his voice, it's neck craning up to look at him. "You're still alive too?" The steed snorted and shook his massive head. Sand flew everywhere and Daphnes chuckled. "Well, better than being alone." He struggled to stand and grunted as his body burned in protest. How long had they been down here?

The horse rose too, it's back leg obviously injured. The shaft of the arrow was gone, no doubt snapped off in the fall, but the horse was obviously strong. It wasn't his own royal steed he would take down the streets of his kingdom - no, this beast was a warrior's companion. 

"What's your name?" He muttered to it as he approached it's side to fix the crooked saddle. It only snorted. Daphnes chuckled and grabbed it's reins. "Well, you look like a Charger to me." 

The newly dubbed Charger flicked his ears and followed Daphnes with a limp as they trudged on. Daphnes knew there were civilizations out here. If he was to find a way home, he must find one. He cannot scale the mountain in his state. He had no clue where he could possibly find a safe way back into the mountains. 

Hopefully he wouldn't stumble into any Gerudo settlements.

The sun fell quickly over the dunes and the cold came upon them like a plague. Of course, Charger braved it as if it was nothing, but Daphnes shook like a leaf. His legs ached, the broken arm screamed at every jagged step, he was burnt from the unforgiving sun and by the Goddesses, he was thirsty. 

It seemed like those were the least of his problems when the whistle of an arrow once again alerted him of danger. Charger instantly startled and Daphnes grasped his reins tighter. A look over his shoulder revealed something rather horrible. Bulblins. At least five of them riding on the backs of their war boars. Daphnes only felt a small seed of guilt when he vaulted onto Charger’s back. One thing after another! Honestly, what had he done to deserve this kind of fate?! He spurred Charger into a gallop and the horse, true to his nature as a creature bred for war, took off full speed despite his own injuries. 

Charger was faster than any boar so they easily kept ahead, but the bulblins had arrows. Lots of arrows. No doubt they would have been hit if Daphnes didn’t weave Charger in various patterns to make aiming hard. It took little effort to confuse such daft creatures. Charger was built to, well, charge, so the horse had little trouble taking them across the sands and past untouched dunes. After what felt like hours of trekking through the desert, Daphnes was sure the bulblin would give up their pursuit. 

They only faltered when Daphnes guided Charger toward a looming structure in the distance. It was dark against the sun, but he had no doubt he would find life there. “Come boy!” Daphnes shouted to Charger, “You are a fine beast! Run faster!” The horse picked up the pace, only stuttering once as an arrow clipped his leg. 

The building was not just a building. It was a fort. A massive fort with stones the color of the earth and sand. It was blocky and build to withstand. 

Worst of all, there were no signs of life. Cursing his bad luck, Daphnes made to steer Charger around it when something caught his eye. The reinforced gate was open. “To the gate!” Charger, slick with sweat and shaking from the heat of the sun, cried out in determination at Daphnes kick. He thundered across the sandstone path and past the gates. Halting him with a quick jerk, Daphnes tumbled off the horses back and stumbled to the gate. He ignored the throbbing pain in his arm as he used his body weight to start pushing the gate. The bulblins had stopped also, boars rearing and… refusing to get closer. The bulblins tried to push their steeds closer, but they only squealed and backed away more. Daphnes thought no more of it as he pushed harder against the heavy gate until it clanged shut. A heavy beam fell as a locking mechanism was triggered by the door closing. 

Safe at last. Daphnes shook and sighed. He was still trembling from the adrenaline that pumped in his blood. Charger looked ready to collapse. Daphnes wobbled back to the brave horse and rubbed his sweat soaked nose. “Come. Let’s rest.”

Daphnes walked all over the grounds in search of anything really. He did manage to find a well, still functioning. They were located near what appeared to be a stable. He discarded his heavy cape and ruined finery in favor of attempting to roll up the sleeves of his tunic and fill a trough with cool water. His arm was of little use, but he made it work. Charger deserved it. Daphnes had his fill of the blessed gift before leaving Charger at the stables to explore more. The fort was imposing indeed. It looked dark and abandoned, but oddly well taken care of it. As if only yesterday it was emptied. The door he entered from didn’t even creak. 

The halls were lit. Daphnes wished she had a weapon of some sort. If the wide and tall chairs were any indication, this was (or is) a Gerudo fortress. Everything was quiet but Daphnes knew that he wasn’t the only one in this seemingly abandoned castle. 

He appeared to enter through a side door to a common room - stacks of scrolls and chairs only half pushed in giving it a feeling of warmth. This once was a place for letters to be read and gossip to be heard. He carefully pushed open another door and walked down a hall lined with suits of dark armor. It was eerily quiet. 

… Maybe he was alone. He was spooked is all. He had only been ambushed twice in the same day so of course he was jumpy. He could easily recover here. And if this place was inhabited, so be it. So far, whoever had lit these candles wasn’t trying to kill him. The King of Hyrule would take fate however it handed itself to him now. He was alive and that’s all that mattered.

In the hours that Daphnes explored the fort he found some rather… disturbing news. 

This was no mere fort. It was an enchanted fort. He noticed it almost immediately. He had wandered through countless hallways and caught sight of the suits of armors shifting on there own - they were empty, he had checked for any trickery - to follow behind him. Enchanted armor! They obviously had once when tampered with by whoever had last owned this castle to protect its halls. They didn’t seem to mind him at all. In fact, he saw one lighting a dark hall way, as if encouraging him to explore it more. 

Even if his instincts told him this was dangerous, he had no other choice. This was the only shelter for probably miles around. He needed to recover before he headed back to his kingdom. 

What else he learned was not nearly as pleasant. He had stumbled upon the west side of the building (well, he was led by a suit of armor, but that’s beside the point) and found he was indeed not alone here. 

Wreckage. Destroyed furniture, shredded portraits that lined the walls. A room that appeared to once house the royalty destroyed and turned into the den of some animal. It wasn’t old either - a carcass of some desert deer that couldn’t be more than two days old sat rotting on the room's balcony. He left the room and didn’t look back. Maybe the creature that resided in this castle was not to be trifled with. 

Instead, he followed one of the empty knights to a dining area. It hadn’t occurred to him that the sun had set nearly an hour ago - the rooms were warm by the many lit fireplaces in the fort. The hot food that laid on the table was also undeniably attractive. It was a small serving, but enough for him. He was starved!

The knight that had led him here stood faithfully by the door with what could almost be considered hesitant. Or anticipating. Did it think he would strike? How foolish. He had done nothing to prove himself a threat. He chugged the large cup of water and-

A heavy dragging was heard outside in the hall. The armor placed a hand on its sword and Daphnes froze. Could that be… the creature that nested in the west halls?

The door creaked open and the armor immediately put a hand out as if to ward something back. The hall was dark. Funny, the creature must have extinguished them as it passed them. Daphnes didn’t dare move, but he did jump when the armor echoed with words. 

“Har aš ísk Aao-dorf.” (It is a friend.) The voice was ghostly and bounced within the helmet, making it sound muffled at the same time. It was distinctively feminine.

A rough growl made the hair on Daphnes neck stand straight and two glowing gold eyes flickered in the dark. “Nat matstsų-Érųki aš ísk Aao-dorf.” (No knife-ear is a friend.) The voice spoke in such a low and gravelly voice that Daphnes could simply imagine the darkness of the creature. Daphnes felt nothing but fear as the armor stepped back. Did they answer to whatever dark thing haunted this castle?

“Bi krus müs promín tamay pišλop va akmaja.”(You must not keep hiding from the curse.) Whatever the armor said seemed to anger the creature for it took one step closer and Daphnes felt like running himself. A snout, boarish but oddly wolfish as well, peered into the room. Two large tusks gleamed bone white in the flicker of the fire. Claws sharper than swords and as big as his own head reached for the armors helmet and squeezed in in a death grip. The knight threatening drew its sword halfway from its sheath. 

“I should kill you.” The creature spoke gruffly in Hylian which further shocked Daphnes. It’s gold eyes burned into his own from the shadows. “You trespass on my territory. Eat my food.” Daphnes said nothing. The creak of the metal helmet filled the air for a moment before the large paw released the knight. It stepped back into the hall. “Leave after you are healed. Stay longer and I will destroy you.” 

It was gone before Daphnes could reply.

In four days, Daphnes knew his arm was as healed as it would get. If he stayed for a full recovery, the creature would no doubt kill him. He planned to leave that night when the sun was down. He wished not to burn further. The knight who had stayed by his side had faithfully kept watch over him, but had not spoken a word since the creature had appeared. That monster hadn’t shown itself since then, but during the day, he could hear loud roars and crashing from deep within the west wing. 

It was that evening that Daphnes discovered the garden. It was well kept and hidden well - it was odd as well. Indoors, kept away from the word by walls of glass. It was small, but it was obviously loved very much. Was it left behind by the people who once used this castle? No doubt the knights kept it in good shape since the owners left. The creature would have destroyed it much like the wing it resides in. 

The plants were mostly edible goods of all kinds. He was tempted to eat some, but something nagged at the back of his mind that perhaps that wasn’t the best idea. He walked its paths steadily, the clinking of the knight’s armor following only a few feet behind. It seemed to be enjoying the stroll as well. 

It was then he spotted a beautiful bush planted in the far back. Flowers. Brightest red he had ever seen with four fat and long petals that were flecked with golden pollen. The bushel was full of them! They looked extremely cared for - so beautiful and gorgeous. He walked closer as if in a trance. He didn’t ever notice the knight freezing and the dark shadow that watched from behind some low fruit bearing trees. 

‘What about some lovely flowers? Some you have never seen before?’ His words to Zelda echoed in his mind like a mantra. He had lost the gifts he had promised turning the first attack… He should at least offer her something, shouldn’t he? 

His fingers brushed the petals. Softer than silk. The stem was cold in his fingers. He tightened his grip. Zelda would love this. She was probably worried sick for him. This should make up for it… He plucked it. 

Claws instantly swiped against his back as he was violently shoved to the ground, the flower slipping from his fingers. He landed on his back and stared up in fear at the creature. It growled low and grasped the front of his tunic to lift him from the ground. Daphnes gasped and squirmed. “I am sorry! I-I was leaving tonight, I swear it-!”

“I allowed you to heal within my fortress. I allowed you to eat my food. You repay me by trying to steal from me?! I shall kill you!”

What?! Daphnes cried out in protest as the creature raised its other hand with curled claws. “You misunderstand! I only wished to give it to my daughter! I’ll do anything for your forgiveness!” 

Instantly, the creature halted his hand. “... A daughter?”

“Y-Yes. She must be worried sick, I only wished to offer a gift for her forgiveness. Please,” Daphnes begged, “I only wish to return home. I am sorry for taking what is not mine!”

The creature stared at him with those murderous golden eyes. “You will do anything to return to your home alive?” Daphnes only nodded. The creature tilted its snout up. “Then you will give me your daughter in exchange for your life.”

“Never!” Daphnes cried out, “She is my child! I cannot let you-”

“Then you shall die here, thief,” it growled menacingly. Its claws gleamed as it flexed them. 

Daphnes paled. “P-Please, anything but her…”

“If I do not receive her within two weeks, I shall hunt you down and slaughter any and all in my path.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been 76 years......... 
> 
> sorry for such a long wait! i hope this is enjoyable! the next chapter might be up soon!

The knight seemed to be as miserable as he was. After the beast had threatened Daphnes, it had sent him on his way with the knight as an escort. It did not speak a single word, as per usual. 

His castle was visible on the fourth day of travel. Charger was healed and stronger than ever and nearly broke into a gallop at the sight of the familiar terrain. The knight rode a large boar beside him. It seemed to be ill-tempered about the long travel. 

On the fifth day, the crowds in the streets overwhelmed him. They cried out their joy in his return. Only two of the knights he had been travelling with from Lord Farlor’s had survived and reported the king missing.

When he arrived in his own courtyard, he was met by the tearful face of his daughters. “Oh papa!” Ravilia had hugged him fiercely as soon as he dismounted, “You’re alive!” Othell joined in as well with a sob, but the girls disentangled themselves after only a second to wipe the dirt and grime from their dresses. It was Zelda who approached him and held him tenderly, arms shaking and face pressed against the dirty shirt he wore. She didn’t let go. She did not speak. 

The knight that had come with Daphnes refused to leave his side. It had no problem pulling its sword out when Daphnes own warriors aimed to stop it so Daphnes allowed it to be his shadow. 

It was only the sixth day since he was home and the beasts threat still plagued his mind. He called Zelda to his study and instantly she was there, worry in her eyes. “Is it your arm? I can check it again. I must have missed-”

“No, my daughter, my arm is fine. You healed me well.” She had tended to his wounds without a word once she learned of his injuries. “I am afraid I have rather horrible news.”

She said nothing. Instead she sat across from his desk. The knight stood as still as stone. “I had taken refuge in a fort when I was injured.” She nodded. He had already told the believable part of the story to them, as well as a small fib that the knight was the one who nursed him to health. “It was not only this knight that lingered in that place.”

It seemed almost like fiction when he spoke of the creature that threatened him. Only it wasn’t - the bodiless knight that followed him around was proof enough. Zelda didn’t quite believe it herself, but it was her father who told the tale so she knew it to be true.

“That is why,” Daphnes continued after a long sigh, “I am so frightened. I cannot lose any of my daughters.”

She was staring at the floor with a frown. For an instant, Daphnes saw his wife once more. His wife, Anuel, had always been a thinker. “Father,” Zelda murmured, “What will it do if you do not give one of us to it?” 

The knight stepped forward and Zelda jumped slightly. She had forgotten it was there. It said nothing, but it’s message was clear. It would bring back one of them itself. Zelda took a deep breath and sat straight. Daphnes massaged his temple. “I don’t know what to-”

“I will go.” Zelda was monotone and when Daphnes looked up in surprise, her face was blank as a slate. “It is my duty to protect the family.” 

“Nonsense!” Daphnes hissed, standing from his chair. “I will not allow you to sacrifice your future! Ravilia or Othell-”

“No,” the echo of the knights voice cut him off. “They are both children. Childish and demanding. I have seen their hearts. They would not survive.” It’s Hylian was nearly perfect, but the accent was thick and hearty. Its helmeted head nodded toward Zelda. “Her heart is pure and she is strong. She must go.”

“But… She is to rule the kingdom once I step down!” Daphnes argued. Zelda shook her head but her face remained emotionless. Daphnes’ hands shook. “Zelda… Please. We can figure something else out.”

The knights voice echoed again. “Dark magic is his own tool. Do not test him.”

Zelda stood and the knight joined her. “At what price, father? If this beast is as frightening as described, I will not allow it to pose a threat to our people.” With a turn of finality, Zelda left the study, a suit of armor following close behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this is a good one for you guys!! after this week of bullshit in the usa, i've been stressed to hell and back lmao...
> 
> hopefully ya'll can appreciate how this story helps me escape that for a bit
> 
> enjoy!

Five days later and Zelda found herself disguised in an old cloak on the back of the boar, arms locked around the armors waist. It was midnight and the stars seemed to disappear. It was bleak. The castle grounds were abandoned and the area they were hiding in was small and compact. It was making the boar skittish, but the knight had chosen this spot to wait for unknown reasons. It was hidden from the castle and located more in the area the servants lived in. Mud covered the ground and no torches were around to provide light. Only the waning moon shone down through the arches of stone.

Below them, her father stood, eyes holding nothing but sorrow. She wanted to cry at his expression but knew her tears would solve nothing. She only needed to be strong now. “Zelda…” He began. She turned her head enough that the hood over her head hid her eyes. Daphnes shook his head and closed his own eyes. “I cannot stop you, but I swear to you, you will not be there forever. I promise-” The boar reared back as the knight raised one palm to the sky. Daphnes stood back in shock as it’s hand lit up with dark energy. It crackled and collected in its palm before it threw it against the castles wall.

A portal opened with alarming heat that crackled the air around them. “W-What…?!” Daphnes shouted out, watching with wide eyes as the desert fortress loomed only feet away. It wasn’t the magic that spooked him - it was the golden eyes that glared.

There was the beast, standing on two clawed feet, one of its massive paws outstretched. The moonlight glinted off of its talons and its own dark magic crackled around its hand like lightning. In the illumination of the magic, Daphnes saw its hideous face clearer than ever. 

Long and lean, its face came to a boarish snout but its jaw was massive like a lion. Its eyes were cattish and its ears laid flat in its thick red mane. Its jaw was covered in the same mane and a quick peek at its body confirmed it was covered in it. In the center of its forehead sat a glimmering golden jewel and Daphnes had to do a quick double take. That was…!

“You’re a wise man to follow my demands…” Its voice growled and the knight moved the boar forward. Daphnes restrained himself from reaching for his daughter, who sat shaking on the beast's back. The beast noticed and its ugly body shook with laughter. Daphnes cringed in fear. “She will live like royalty, don’t you worry. Your precious daughter will not be traded anymore.”

“Wait,” Daphnes pleaded, the boar now completely through the portal, “I-I change my mind! I will exchange myself in place of my daughter! I am old and feeble, she is the next in line-”

The beast growled and stepped closer to the portal it held open, but didn’t dare cross. “The deal has been made, you fool. You have the life you so desperately wanted and I have a prisoner of my own. Farewell.” Zelda cried out when her father fell to his knees with tears in his eyes. The portal fizzled out and the desert echoed with the last cry of her name from her father. 

She slumped in shock against the armor behind her. It was done. She has no idea where she is – no idea whom she's with. The armor took her hand in its cool palm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Zelda trembled with repressed sobs, but did nothing else but hold onto that gesture of kindness. Who knew how she will truly be treated under the care of a beast! She only has this shell of armor left and she knows nothing about the sorcery behind it. 

Before her, the beast let out a low snort and it turned its massive head to her. It said nothing but instead studied her intently. She wanted to shield herself from the intrusive gaze. 

It felt like forever, but finally the beast turned away. He fell onto all fours and his cape bellowed in the wind behind him. The knight let out a long sigh before it nudged the boar into motion behind the beast. Zelda clutched tighter to the hand that held hers and closed her eyes. It was for the greater good. She hadn’t told anyone of her decision – not even Impa. She only told her to continue going to those who needed their help. It hurt Zelda dearly to know she was leaving her people behind but… it was to save them as well. If she refused to become this monster’s prisoner, it would have slaughtered them. She no longer doubted that, especially after seeing its malicious eyes. The last thing she would ever want was the sacrifice her own people for her own selfish desire to be away from the beast. 

Zelda was surprised upon really seeing the fort. It was in fairly good condition – a few walls seemed weak and the sparse vegetation consisted mostly of weeds and dead grass. The gate creaked when the beast shouldered past it. 

The beast didn’t once look back as it slammed the front entrance door open and stalked into the dark. Zelda and the knight rode the boar to the stable where the knight helped her down. Zelda quietly thanked the boar. It’s glimmering and beady eyes made her shiver. They were too much like the beasts. Zelda followed the knight diligently through a side door. 

The fort was dark and Zelda subconsciously stepped closer to the armor. It offered her it’s hand and Zelda took it without hesitation. The gloom of this place felt suffocating… 

“I am… Nabooru,” the voice told Zelda. Zelda blinked. The armor squeezed her fingers. “I will be your guard and guide. Once… these halls were my home, not my prison.” Zelda nodded dumbly. What was she to say? The armor, Nabooru, led her through the maze of halls and Zelda barely had the nerve to examine her new home. “Master will no doubt give you a better room with time, but for now, here is where you will stay.” 

Nabooru pushed aside the hanging fabric in a doorway and ushered Zelda through. With quiet steps, she did. Moonlight poured in through the narrow windows and hightlighted the dusty bed. Zelda instantly felt like an intruder. Personal items could be seen everywhere, even in the relative dark. Papers still laid on the desk, ink pot filled with the quill upright in it. The bed had a mountain of pillows and the sheets sat crumpled and unmade. The net no doubt used to fend of bugs during the night was partially open, as if someone had left in a hurry and hadn’t closed it. 

“… Nabooru,” Zelda started gently, “Whose room was this?” 

The armor shrugged. “A warrior. She will not be needing it any longer.” Zelda winced. A Gerudo warrior from the size of the bed and chairs. 

“What has happened here?” Zelda inquired as she stepped toward the bed. “It feels as if the people just vanished.” 

“I cannot say,” the armor grunted, “my voice stops when I try.” 

Zelda, ever the smart one, quickly knew what that meant. “A curse.” She had been studying magic for years. Curses were easily recognizable. “One that halts all mentions of it, I suspect?”

Nabooru’s empty shell shuddered. “Yes.” Zelda stepped up to the nightstand beside the bed and felt her heart drop. A piece of yellowed parchment was framed with soft hazel wood. The expert sketch revealed to her a couple – two Gerudo women – sitting side by side in what could only be described as contentment. They held hands and the one rested her head on the others clavicle. 

“What brave warrior could have left such joy behind?” Zelda murmured to herself. Behind her, hidden from the princesses’ gaze, Nabooru touched the cold metal of the breastplate.


	7. Chapter 7

“Master,” Nabooru scowled. “She is not a disease. You don’t have to avoid her.”

The beast growled and shuffled further into his broken bed. “Do not call me that – the Nabooru I knew never called me that.” 

“The Nabooru you knew was cursed to this form by your arrogance. I have no wish to be familiar with you after such a feat.” 

“You’re a pain. Leave me,” he snapped. His temper hadn’t improved in the slightest. 

Nabooru did not move. “Invite her to dinner. A few of us still remember how to cook. We will make her welcome.” The beast growled. 

“Call me by my name and I shall consider.” 

Nabooru did not speak for a moment and sighed. “You know I cannot. The curse will not let me.” 

The beast sighed and curled further into his destroyed bed. “Tell them to cook. I will fetch her myself when the sun lowers.” Nabooru nodded and left with only small clinks of her footsteps. When he could no longer hear the echo of the steps, the beast rose. His claws touched the ground and sunk into the carpet and he sighed. He always walked on all fours – like an animal. It was more comfortable this way. The bulk of his boarish body was the massive shoulders and neck. His hind legs were powerful and strong, but they didn’t like to uphold his heavy body without the help of his front paws. He only stood up like that to look more imposing than usual.

He shook his mane and stretched like a housecat. His tail brushed the ground when he returned to his normal stance. It had been only a day since the woman had arrived. Nabooru said she was taking good care of her, but that he should talk to her himself. Maybe… break the curse. 

She was their only hope.

He instinctively turned to the shattered mirror on the wall. The glowing eyes of a monster stared back. How could he get her to see him as anything else?

\--- 

Zelda was busy cleaning the dusty room that evening when the heavy knock on the door startled her. “Nabooru?” She called. No response. Zelda sighed. “You do not have to knock. Come in.” Nabooru was a strange creature indeed…

The door creaked open and Zelda sighed. “You are my only friend here, Nabooru. You don’t need permission to enter this room.”

“Nabooru is lucky.” Zelda jumped and whirled around with wide eyes. The rag she had fell from her shaking fingers and the beast growled at that. He stood in the doorway, not daring to cross the threshold. He did not want to frighten her.

Zelda instantly collected herself with a subtle intake of breath. Years in the court have taught her to compose herself with the upmost sufficiency. “May I help you?” 

The beast closed his eyes for a moment and she plucked the rag from the ground. “Have you eaten since your arrival?”

Zelda nodded and kept her eyes on the rag. “Nabooru had provided me with a few fruits this morning and some tea. That was all.” 

The beast hummed. “Then we go to dinner. Now.” 

Zelda looked up with surprise. “I beg your pardon?” 

The golden eyes met hers with authority. “We will go to dinner. My servants have prepared a meal for you.” Zelda swallowed. 

“I have nothing to wear to this dinner…” The beast scoffed at Zelda. 

“Trivial. Of course a Hylian would be concerned with appearances,” the tone he spoke with was bitter and… upset? Zelda furrowed her brows. The beast noticed and turned away from the door and trudged down the hall. He called behind him. “Come now or you shall not eat at all.” 

He dropped to all fours and slowly made his way down the hall, ears flicked to hear for her footsteps. In a minute he heard the soft click of the door and the small patter of delicate steps. He stopped until she reached his side. He glanced at her and she defiantly tilted her chin up. He snorted. Even with him on all fours, he still stood taller than her. “You are tiny. How old are you?”

She clasped her hands behind her back. “I am the tallest in my family, actually. I am twenty-three summers old.” 

The beast tilted his head. “You are that old, yet that fool of a father had not married you off to a merchant’s son? Is that not the foolish way of your kind?” 

Zelda bit her tongue as her temper flared. The insult to both her father and her kind cut, but she knew it was foolish of her people. “My father is kind and wants me to lead my own life. That’s why I decided to be the one who came here – I spared my sisters so they might live the life they wished.” She didn’t dare bring up her father’s plan to never surrender one of them to the beast. “And you? Have you roamed this castle for all your life?” 

The beast hummed. “I am only twenty-eight summers and yes, I have roamed these halls all my life.” He led her through a wide archway and Zelda blinked at the bright torches along the walls. The halls they had walked through where not lit in the slightest – only the fading light of the sun through the windows had provided her sight. The table in the middle was long and low to the ground. Throw pillows and cushions littered the room and suits of armor were in motion. Two placed some trays of steaming food in the table, another lit torches on the right wall. Two were carting dusty pillows out and another returned with freshly beaten ones. Nabooru, defined by the orange hue of the armor, was barking out orders in a language Zelda did not know. 

“Sit wherever you want,” the beast said and easily maneuvered himself to the head of the table. He flopped down gracelessly and rested on his side like a content housecat. Zelda hesitated. She should try to become friends with the beast, especially since she would spend the rest of her days in his company. She stepped around his form and nearly slipped on the tail of his cape but easily caught herself. He watched and grunted in amusement. She repressed the urge to roll her eyes at him. He was easy enough to get along with it seemed. Just by talking with him in the hall (the first words she had truly exchanged with him) she could see he was rusty in his communication skills but had no doubt once been adept at it. 

Zelda lowered herself slowly onto a red cushion to the right of him. Two suits of armor to her own left immediately set a stone plate before her and two long sticks. She stared at the sticks in confusion. They tittered behind her then in low whispers in that language she could not place. 

“Opríλ aš va Príλ war va akmaja?”(She is the woman to break the curse?)

“Λístr! Opríλ aš ési rų nahasahi…!” (Hopefully! She is our only hope…!) Both the armors jumped nervously when the beast growled lowly. 

He murmured lowly to them, “Saktar.” (Leave.) Both of them scuttled away and he once more stopped growling. 

Zelda cleared her throat. “I didn’t realize so many inhabit this fort.”

He hummed and lazily grabbed a slab of meat from a plate. He nosily ate it down. Zelda tried not to show her distaste and instead held the sticks in confusion. What were these for? Surely they weren’t the utensils…

The beast eyed her carefully and picked up his own. “Watch,” he grunted and fit the sticks snugly between his fingers and plucked a lone vegetable from a different plate. “It is easy. Effective.” The intensity of her gaze made him slightly uncomfortable, but he dropped the green sprout on his plate to show her again. He didn’t bother to explain – he could see the gears turning furiously in her head. He would let her figure it out on her own. 

She attempted to retrieve a piece on her own after a few moments and stumbled like a child. He snorted and her cheeks blazed red. His gaze softened and he reached over to grab another slab of meat. “Just use your hands. It is how dining is done in this room.” Zelda opened her mouth to retort that it was uncivil but clamped it quickly. This was a beast, not a man. 

She placed the sticks back down and began to use her hands. The beast chuckled but said nothing more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey ya'll! here i am updating instead of finishing that project due tomorrow :) enjoy

After dinner, the beast left and Zelda followed Nabooru back to her room. The halls all looked too familiar. The narrow windows showed her the darkened sky and the multitude of stars. She murmured quietly to Nabooru. “The stars look so beautiful out here. There are no lights from the castles walls to dim their glory here.” 

Nabooru said nothing and instead thought of something the beast might do to further impress Zelda. Nabooru was right to insist it be Zelda to be the one to come here. The other two would have refused to dine with the beast and hold conversation with him. Zelda’s heart reached for his own without either of them knowing it.

\---

The beast lurked silently in the greenhouse. Here he was able to think clearly as the only thing that spoke of his redemption laid blooming no matter what. The roses that glistened with dew under the moonlight both calmed him and enraged him. They were the only beautiful thing the goddess who cursed him had left him. Once his sisters, mothers, aunts and nieces were the beauty of this fort - now they trampled around in dull metal. The fort was no longer a mecca like it once was. The market place hidden in the back was empty and barren. The homes of loving families laid abandoned within the cursed walls. Instead the spirits of his people lingered and tortured him.

“Din, goddess of the seasons, of the land, how could you have done this?” He growled. The roses stared back at him. He kneeled before them. “I was wrong in my actions, I know this… but to punish those around me? To curse them as well? We have served you for generation after generation, gave praise in your name…!” His ears twitched as he listened for some response. Nothing. “How could you have-“

His eyes widened. One of the roses had dropped a petal. 

The roses, untouched by time and forever healthy and bloomed, had just shown the first signs of being touched by time.

His time was running out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a double update kinda night (morning? idk it's 1:05 AM and i hate myself)
> 
> ANYWAY really appreciating the feedback i get! i know i'm shit at responding but i want u all to know that i cherish each and every comment.. they make me so happy!!! 
> 
> so this is a bit of a big chapter in terms of diving into their relationship - zelda is finally asserting her dominance, our boy ganondorf has a hint of an idea that he isn't a beast as much as he thinks... yadda yadda
> 
> ALSO one more thing: the language i'm using for this fic is provided by http://www.irondune.com/zaiva/gerudolang1.html and i keep forgetting to credit them!!! it's super great and really super interesting! check it out if ur interested.
> 
> ok ok that's it for now but just remember: the more feedback, the quicker i update! love ya'll

Zelda found that the fort had more mysteries than she thought. It was obviously more massive then it looked from the outside – most of the rooms snaked down into the cool underground hidden from the suns heat. Fortunately, Zelda’s room was above that and she could see the glimmering stars through the narrow windows. It softened her disposition to know that these were the same stars she views from Hyrule castle. Home wasn’t far. Her father and sisters, the weak and poor or the town, Impa… they were all alive beyond the dunes and would see the same stars she did. She was not completely taken from them, for they could all share the same sky.

Zelda curled a piece of hair around her finger. It had been a week now. The fort was fun to explore with Nabooru until she dined with the beast. The architect and history so deeply ingrained into every stone of the fortress called to her and Zelda gladly went were the call took her. Every corner revealed something new to her and she loved it.

Zelda turned from the narrow window as the door creaked open. It was after dinner and the sun had long ago set. Nabooru bowed to her and then pushed the door open further to reveal to ever looming presence of the beast. He didn’t dare step into the room, like usual. “Come with me.” His voice rolled like thunder and demanded to be followed. It reminded Zelda of how a king would command a court. Zelda nodded and swiftly made to join him. She breezed by Nabooru and the Beast stepped away from her. 

Another quirk of the Beast, Zelda had noticed. He always kept an arm’s length distance from her – enough that she would never see the actual texture of his fur (something she wondered often about – was it soft like a lion? Bristled like a boar?). “Where are we going?” 

The Beast met her gaze with smoldering gold eyes. She lowered her lashes but never looked away. Intimidating as he was, she would not let him have her fear. He didn’t respond for a moment and chose to ignore her question. When he dropped to all fours and began to lead away, Zelda rolled her eyes. Patience, she reminded herself. 

“I know I am but only your captive in these halls,” Zelda casually spoke, ignorant to the agitated and embarrassed flicker of his ears, “but if this is where I am to spend the rest of my life, then I wish to know the ones I am to spend it with.” She had given him an ample excuse to talk about himself yet he only huffed. 

His golden eyes flickered to her. “What is there to know? I am a Beast and you are my only breathing company.” Now it was Zelda who scrunched her nose in agitation. 

“There is more to every soul than just an appearance.” He halted. She nearly tripped on his cape again. He turned that massive body to her and stood. Zelda winced at the pain written on his face but there was just the smallest hint of… hope? 

One of his massive paws unclenched to instead gently brush a loose golden strand from her cheek. Zelda didn’t dare speak in fear she would break the spell her words had put him under. His claw was cool and deadly, but it barely grazed her skin. The soft fur of his finger felt like silk. His throat made a soft whine that surprised both of them. He removed his hand immediately and in an instant, the moment was over. 

He snarled and glared down at her. “You know nothing. You speak convenient words to only soothe me. You fear this form of mine – this ugly face. Foolish Hylian. I know your kind too well to be tricked by your tongue. You knife ears only see others based on their faces and bodies.” He barked a short and ugly laugh. Zelda could practically taste the hatred. “Lie to me all you want, but until you are no longer beautiful yourself, I will take not a word of yours seriously, little Hylian.” 

Zelda grounded her teeth and crossed her arms. “Oh? You think I am so brainless that I base the worth of one only on their appearance?” His mouth opened, but she continued. “You talk so lowly of my people and do nothing but insult them! Do you forget that the words you speak are directed at me? I always stay my tongue in respects of your opinion, but I will not stand for this. I am a Hylian, but I am not the kind you so fondly like to berate. Most of my people are not.” She bit her lip and noticed his ears folded back. She sighed. “There are many like that, yes, but not all. Only the upper class show such attributes you point out… but they are a small part of my people. We are not them.” Her eyes pleaded with his and he had to force himself not to look away from her beautiful and entrancing stare. “I know you resent us for some reason, but please understand me – in my eyes, you are but another being. I see you here.” He felt his heart nearly explode when her hand pressed firmly against his chest. He wondered if she could feel its frantic pounding at her touch. “You are no less beautiful than I.”

If only she knew. 

\---

He didn’t speak to her the rest of the walk. She trailed behind him awkwardly, unsure in all senses. As soon as she had touched him so boldly, he had shut down. He had merely plopped down to all fours, stared at her with so many emotions on that expressive face and took off at a pace slower than before. 

She hoped he would not be contemplating the easiest way to kill her. He had a temper, she knew this yet still raised her voice against her. She felt like she was going to throw up. Never before had she so boldly stood up and voiced her frustrations – her father had raised her to always listen and speak softly to those who only spoke coldly.

The Beast slowed to a stop and she stopped at his side. He gave her a small glance before pushing aside an extraordinarily thick curtain. “Go.” His voice seemed smaller, more tired. She tried to read his expression, but those sad and ever so angry eyes avoided her. She squeezed by him and purposely brushed the hand that held the curtain apart. 

She gasped. The room was glass. Above her head, in a multitude of glass panels, Zelda could see every star in the deep blue of the night sky. The smell of old parchment and fragrance filled the room and her heart soared. 

“An atrium!” She couldn’t peel her eyes away from the stars that shone above her until she felt the brush of fur against her arm. The Beast stood beside her on two legs also looking at the sky above. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured. 

He said nothing, but his heart wanted to speak. He wanted to tell her how he use to come up here as a boy and sleep at his mother's feet. He wanted to tell her the names that his people gave them. He wanted to point to the constellation of Vés Éši (Beautiful Goddess) and tell her how he could only see her up there – how her face had replaced Din’s. 

Instead, he breathed in the familiar smells, now with one he hoped to never forget. The smell of gardenias, of faraway places… of hope.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ruh roh scoob we like got a mess on our hands now...........
> 
> hope ya'll like this chapter! we're getting to the goods now.. hell yea
> 
> please leave me feedback! i love you all so much!!!

Zelda found herself more eager to see the Beast upon waking every day. It seemed that her talking back to him had given him some sort of curiosity streak – he would take her to places hidden around the castle and watch intently for her reactions. Apparently, she never disappointed. She had caught him smiling (or what she assumed was a smile) many times even though he tried to hide it. He joked with her occasionally and seemed to tease her at every opportunity. He bid her sweet sleep every night and she always wondered at what point had he grown soft toward her.

She loved it. The fortress no longer felt like her prison. It felt like home, a place she was comfortable in. Nabooru had introduced her to many of the other cursed suits of armor – Saresha, Kokon, Yikaza – and found herself much more at ease to traverse the now familiar halls on her own. Of course, Nabooru and the others usually steered her away from a certain glass room, but it only made her more determined to go there. 

It was that day that she trekked the one spot she was determined to see. It was late in the evening and the sun kissed the edge of the dunes when she slipped from her room as quietly as she could. Never in her life had she snuck around – she was never one to break rules like this. She never had a reason too. 

The door of her destination creaked open quietly and she slipped in. The instant aroma of flowers and pollen hit her and she instantly gasped. It was beautiful! The growth around her was lush and green, full of life and obviously very well taken care of. 

Trees bearing low hanging fruit (some of which she recognized from her meals with the Beast) and bushes ripe with berries filled the paths with a multitude of colors. This wasn’t a room – it was a massive garden. The amount of food and crops in this room could easily keep a group of eighty fed well. She could feel the magic in the air – much of it was probably tampered with to produce more and faster. The winding paths seemed to continue on forever and Zelda found herself awed around every corner. This room was teeming with life! 

Her fingers brushed the waxy leaf of some huge plant when her eyes spotted something she had never seen before. The brightest red she had ever seen with four fat long petals that were flecked with golden pollen. The path that led to it was well worn, but her bare feet barely left their own marks as she stepped to it. She kneeled before it, entranced. Who cared for these beautiful blooms? They were wilted ever so slightly, but she hardly noticed. After all, nothing is perfect. The hands that tended these obviously took great care in keeping them so well despite their aging. 

Her fingers barely brushed a petal before the Beast yanked her away. His roar hurt her ears more than the claws in her arm did. “What are you doing here?!”

Zelda shrunk back in shock. She hadn’t heard him at all! She frantically tried to read his face. It was dark and shadowed in the moons lighting, but the rage and anger was clear as day. “I-I was only looking! I didn’t mean -!” 

He roared again and this time, Zelda felt true fear – much like the first time she looked upon him. She could do nothing as the tears blossomed in her eyes. The Beast noticed immediately and his grip loosened and his face contorted into sorrow for only a split second before his anger bubbled back up. Of course she was scared. She had always been. These past weeks have been nothing but a lie… she had worn such a convincing façade around him. He shoved her away from the bush and stepped to his full height above her collapsed form. 

“Get out before I kill you.”

Zelda felt the tears cascade down her cheeks. “W-What-“

He stepped toward her, tusks like diamond points and eyes molten gold in the moonlight. “Get.” He crashed a fist into the ground as a loud and thunderous roar left him. “OUT.”

Zelda sobbed in fear and scrambled up. She didn’t even spare him a backward glance as she ran from the garden. For the first time in her life, Zelda didn't have a plan. She couldn't spare a moment to think of a way out of this. 

She could only run.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels very rushed??? i don't know why but it does. i guess i wanted to portray the sense of urgency and stuff lol
> 
> anyway i hope ya'll enjoy!!

Zelda dashed right past Nabooru. The armor called for her instantly, but Zelda refused to stop. The tears blurred everything, but she found the door to the outside world immediately. She had to go and leave this place. 

Nabooru clanked after her and managed to snag her wrist before she could unlatch the lone boar’s stable door. Zelda lurched back in fear – the Beast’s grip had already bruised the tender skin. The sharp edges of Nabooru’s steel fingers reminded her too much of the claws. 

Nabooru let go and took a step back, hands held up in a sign of peace. “What has happened? What are you doing?” 

Zelda shook herself before she continued to get the boar out of the stable. “I can’t s-stay here any longer.” Nabooru did nothing to stop Zelda when the princess climbed onto the mount’s back. 

Zelda cooed to the boar through a soft hiccup and the boar flicked its ears. “Please. Please take me home.” The boar lowered its snout before it took a few steps from the stable before it stopped. Nabooru refused to move from its path.

“Tell me Zelda. What happened? Why do you cry?”

Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. “He threatened to kill me. He told me to leave. And now, I will do as he asked.” 

Nabooru didn’t resist when the boar nudged past. Zelda said nothing until the gates loomed in front of her. They still had not been locked. She looked back once before the boar took off across the sands.

Nabooru bursted through the doors with burning fury. She stomped through the halls and the others shrunk back. When Nabooru was angry they knew something had gone horribly wrong. “Where is that fool?! Where is that stupid Beast?!” 

The suits of armor scrambled about in confusion. What had happened? What had their king done now? From somewhere, a voice called out. “In the garden! I saw him there!” Nabooru trampled down the hall at break neck speed and slammed the garden doors open in record time. 

He was there. He was curled into himself, head held in clawed hands and groaning. “Get up,” Nabooru barked. He didn’t move. “You absolute fool. Get up and get her back.”

He barely moved. “There is no point. She hates me. I am a-“

“I said get up!” Nabooru yelled and the Beast cringed. The sudden memory of a slender Gerudo woman, not armor, reared up in his head. He was so young then. She was too. “You will go after her this very instant. You will apologize for whatever you have done. You will beg her if you need to.”

“Nabooru-“

“The desert is not safe at night. She is a weak soft bodied fool who has just dashed out with any armor or provisions on a boar she is not familiar with. She will die out there by bulblins or the nature of our homeland.” The Beast was suddenly heavy with fear. “Go. Now.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me? rushing a chapter? i have no clue what you're talking about.
> 
> anyway thank you all so much for your comments and words of encouragement!!! everything you guys say gives me so much motivation! 
> 
> i hope u all like this chapter bc the next one is going to be Sappy & Sweet... yuck

Zelda had no control over the boar she realized as the sun disappeared below the dunes. Her frantic pleas to the creature were obviously ignored. It seemed it was heading further into the sands rather than toward the constellations she knew would guide her home. 

“Please,” she cried out again and gripped its coarse hair tighter. “This isn’t the way-“ A spear whizzed by her head and the boar squealed in fear. Frightened, Zelda looked behind her and felt a hopeless sob arise. 

The bulbins were on her tail. The boar tore across the sands faster and more frantic, obviously just as scared as her. A year ago, she would have never thought her fate would be to die on the back of a boar in the middle of a desert. 

The boar reared back as another spear came too close to comfort and Zelda, unprepared for the sudden change in angle, found herself unable to hold onto the boar. She fell into the sand and the boar made to dash, but couldn’t. The bulbins surrounded them. It reared again and Zelda shouted in fear as it’s hooves came crashing down into the sand a little too close for comfort.

Now Zelda had been trained by Impa, but she was truly only proficient in archery and healing magic. She would not be able to hold off them this close, plus she was weaponless. 

The first bublin jumped off its own boar and the rest followed, excluding two of them. Zelda closed her eyes and tried to remember the faces of those she had once helped. If she was to die, she would go out remembering those who she had impacted along the way.

The cackle of dark energy rang in her ears, followed by a roar all too familiar. Her eyes popped open in surprise. There stood the Beast directly between her and the bulbin with a dark portal disappearing beside him. The bulbin instantly scrambled back in fear, but one that stayed on the back of its boar instantly raised its club and started yelling. 

The Beast didn’t even look at her as he stepped backwards and over her prone body. She stopped breathing. His massive body easily hid her from the bulbins, but his presence only halted them for a second. Zelda could no longer see what was happening under the mass of the Beast and his cape, but she saw how his body tensed and lowered closer to her. 

The first one lunged and the others followed. He lunged off of her and suddenly, she could see everything. The Beast wasn’t just a temperamental hothead – he was a war machine. 

The bulbins stood no chance against him as his claws rendered through their leather armor and skin. The shrieks made Zelda cover her own mouth in fear. The largest bulbin still seated on a boar began his own attack. A long spear. The Beast was distracted as one of the smaller bulbin managed to get a slice along his arm and grapple onto his cape. Zelda couldn’t find her voice in time. 

The spear went through his shoulder and he roared in pain. Zelda wanted suddenly to find a bow and shot that nasty bulbin straight through the head, but the Beast beat her to it. He leapt onto the boar, clawed the boar right through the stomach, and sunk his tusks into the big bulbins throat. With nothing short of brutal intent, the Beast ripped its neck right off. 

The remaining bublin panicked and jumped onto boars. Zelda didn’t even notice them run away as fast as they could – all she could see was the Beast rising up onto his hind legs. His slow turn after the last bulbin cleared out of there. The blood that dripped from his maw. 

Gold eyes that locked onto hers. He wanted to say something to her. He had to and she could see it clear as day on his face. He took one step from the corpse of the bublin leader and the dead boar. He fell to his knees and his eyes rolled back into his skull. 

All was quiet in the desert again after the Beast collapsed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait!! i am uh maybe extremely close to failing my art history class and have been trying to Not Do That so. yeah 
> 
> anyway!! thank you guys for all the super sweet comments and words or encouragement!! it means the world to me <3 
> 
> enjoy!

The Beast woke with the smell of gardenias heavy in the air. His eyes wouldn’t focus, but he didn’t need them to know who else was with him. He let out a weak growl of protest. 

She didn’t say a word and instead he listened as she rung out a towel. The sound of the excess water filled the quiet tension. He closed his eyes again and sunk into the mattress below him. They were in his chambers. How did she get him here? He thought of Nabooru. No doubt that devil had dragged him up here. Cursed woman. 

The hot towel smoothed over a wound on his chest and he jerked away in surprise, eyes now open and locked onto her own defiant ones. “Don’t squirm.” Her voice was stern and cold. He didn’t like it.

“It stings,” he growled back. She pursed her lips. 

“Don’t be so childish. Let me heal them.” 

He curled his lip over his teeth. “I wouldn’t need you to heal them if you hadn’t run away.” 

He barked out another yelp when she forcefully pressed the hot rag into the wound. “I wouldn’t have run if you hadn’t threatened me.” 

He knew she was right and it made his blood boil with guilt and shame. He had threatened her, hadn’t he? In his fit of rage and fear when he caught her near those cursed flowers, he had said things he knew weren’t true. He stayed as quiet as he could as she cleaned the rest of them. He was laid comfortably on his back, where he had the least amount of injuries. 

Her voice broke through the quiet again. “How does your shoulder feel? I did all I could to heal it, but I didn’t want to waste all my magic on it.” His ears twisted in curiosity. He did remember being wounded the most severely there. Of course, when he starts fighting he tends to lose himself to the absolute bloodlust. Only this time, it wasn’t his need for blood that drove him – it was her and the ache that having her leave his protection brought. It hurt so fiercely that his mind went blank with the mantra ‘protect her’ on repeat in place of his thoughts.

“Fine. You healed it well enough.”

Her gentle fingers grasped his hand and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked down at her and felt his heart swell at the sight of her softening eyes. “I…” She swallowed hard. “I need to thank you. For saving me. I am in debt to you.”

He didn’t even realize he had raised his other hand until his claws gently brushed stray hairs away from her dirty cheek. She was so beautiful. “You are not in debt to me. You have healed me when you could have left me out in the sands. I must thank you instead.” 

Neither spoke for suddenly, an emotion arose in both of them, hesitantly. She had never noticed how his eyes glistened like twin flames, or how they spoke volumes about what he was thinking. He never noticed how her lips were naturally heart shaped, or how she gently bit the inside of it in a way that was barely noticeable.   
He didn’t realize he was purring until she giggled. Her fingers rubbed the rough pads on his hands. He wanted to speak then, but the words that would express how he felt weren’t words he knew. 

I’m sorry, he wanted to say. I’m sorry you have to be here.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey ya'll so i managed to get my grades back up (yeehaw!) and am pleased to give you this slightly longer than normal chapter! pls don't think i'll make a habit of longer chapters bc god knows i can't if i want to update frequently lmao
> 
> i really enjoy all your comments and feedback! it means the world to me! i do take your constructive criticism into consideration and try to work out the kinks in how i write/update
> 
> of course, longer chapters mean longer waits in between chapters! i hope you all enjoy this chapter! i tried (keyword: tried) to put some lore into the story and give my nabooru more screentime. enjoy!

“It’s alright,” the Beast awkwardly said as they sat in a lounge together the next day, “if you go into the gardens. I overreacted before.”

She rose an eyebrow at him from over the top of her book. A Guide to Seal Surfing. “You? Overreact?” 

He glared at her and she cracked a smile. She bookmarked her page and set the book down on the ground beside her. Like everywhere else in the fort, rooms meant for feasting and relaxing lacked any real furniture. Instead, the soft pillows provided ample comfort in their varying shapes and sizes.

She rose to her feet and moved to his side. Her legs folded underneath her with such practiced elegance that the Beast almost forgot that she had willingly moved to sit closer to him. In fact, she was very much placed in the open spot that his lounging body created with its crescent shape. He was so focused on the bare legs and midriff that he didn’t register it immediately. She was wearing the traditional Gerudo garments that he had once seen his sisters and mothers wear, only they were obviously a younger child’s pair. Too bad she had the body of a mature woman. The fortresses walls could only keep so much of that hot desert air out. 

Her skin was getting darker. Of course, it was dark for a Hylian even before she came to the desert, but now it was such a lovely, even shade. Her stomach was the perfect shape without that bothersome corset and thick gown in the way. She looked healthier and happier in the Gerudo clothing overall.

She met his gaze with a soft smile that made his fur bristle in embarrassment. Why were her eyes so beautiful? Her hand reached out and brushed against his. “I forgive you, you know. It was wrong of you to lash out before thinking, but we all make mistakes.” He huffed and she tilted her head to the side with a full smile and laugh like bells. “We are friends, aren’t we? Friends forgive and move on.”

Friend. His heart both clenched in pain and bursted in joy. She considered him her friend. He closed his eyes and refused to respond. Instead, he curled around her and rumbled in content when she leaned into his massive side. 

The heat was brutal, but it wasn’t bad enough that either of them wanted to move away. In fact, Zelda, somehow, found herself curled up right alongside him on the floor only moments later, eyes weighed by sleep. 

-

Nabooru let the door shut behind her with a soft click. The garden was a place the Beast spent hours cursing himself, but here, in the sacred altar room, only she still came to pray. 

This room, small and quaint, is one of the many that once served the Gerudo as a sanctuary that they would pray to their goddess Din. This one in particular, hidden within the place that once served as a Gerudo home outside of the main fortress, was the only one that still held clear, cool water. The others had either dried up or completely gone black with sludge. Yet another effect of the curse. 

The space was too small and cramped for her massive armor body, but she managed, like she always had. Her knees sunk into the frayed pillow and her gloved hands clinked nosily against the edge of the altar. 

“Din, goddess of the seasons, of the land, I call to you again.” 

The silence that followed was all too familiar. Nabooru bowed her false head. “I beg of you to answer only a few questions. It has been years since I have heard your divinity, and much longer since I have been granted your favor. I have never faltered in my devotions to you, despite the magic you placed on us, your children.” Usually Nabooru could accept the lack of response, but this time, she couldn’t. 

“Din, I have been your faithful servant through all the reincarnations. I have always done as you pleased in the aid of my sisters. Will you turn a blind eye to your child? To all your children? Have you finally neglected me?” Her voice shook with restrained anger and bitterness, but even in all her grief, she would not let that seep into her prayers. 

“Strong words from a weak heart.” Nabooru froze. That was a voice she had not heard in far too long. “You speak as if I do not watch close to what my creations do. Look at me.”

Nabooru rose her head and nearly sobbed. There, ethereal and beyond beautiful, stood the golden goddess Din in the small pool of water. Her long red hair hung to the water, which only reached the middle of the goddesses calves. Her eyes glowed like the sun on the sand, her body shapely like the dunes she molded herself. Golden drapery hung from her left shoulder and was lazily thrown across her torso, but left her right breast exposed. The fabric was embroided by the traditional Gerudo designs. That cloth was a gift to her centuries ago, yet the goddess still wore it with pride. She wavered in and out of existence slightly in this form. She was truly on the ethereal plane, but she casted an illusion of herself to Nabooru. The gold bangles on her wrists clinked pleasantly when she moved them in a motion for Nabooru to rise. Nabooru did as her goddess commanded.

“I still am not use to armor,” Din mussed. Nabooru said nothing but noted the humor in her goddess’s voice. Din placed her hands on her wide hips. “Oh c’mon, lighten up. I joke.”

“… I come to ask for help,” Nabooru stated, head dipped in respect. It had been too long since she had seen Din. She felt awkward. Din stared down at her faithful follower with a grin and waited. Nabooru shifted from one foot to the other. “You have no doubt been watching. Is… is this enough? May we be freed?”

Din sighed and Nabooru felt her hope instantly fade. When she looked up, Din was pinching her brow. “You know the terms of this curse, my child. He must have her speak of her love for him before I can consider his worth.”  
“My lady,” Nabooru slowly started, “May I ask… why?”

Din lowered her hand and sighed. Her eyes turned toward the rapidly darkening sky. Her lips pursed. “You know the history of the Triforce – the battle of good and evil. You know that I am the Goddess of Power, that I provide one of my children with that Power every hundred years.” Nabooru nodded. Din closed her eyes. “My Power always corrupted the one I would bestow it onto. The heart… always too weak, unable to push away that lust for domination, revenge and control. This time I had a plan.” Her eyes slid open and turned toward Nabooru again. “Break them before I gift them. If this reincarnation of Demise, the only one who could ever truly bear the burden of my Power, was taught humility and the power of the heart, then I would rest easy. The past had brought many tragedies to my bearers before-“ Din thought of the war on her children brought on by the Hylians, the near extinction. She thought of her bearer forced to insanity by the slaughter of his sisters. She thought of the bearer who had been died standing, his last thoughts of his mother’s warm embrace as the bearers of Courage and Wisdom looked on. “- but none taught the lesson of what Power truly is. This time, he shall learn.” 

Nabooru’s hand quivered. “What is true Power, my lady? How will we know when he has learned?” 

Din let out a breathless laugh and touched the helm before her. For a flash, there was no longer heavy metal, but a tired woman with yellow eyes dulled by grief. The face of the helmet stared back at Din after a second. “You know the answer. You feel it within you, don’t you? When you think of her. That is true power.” 

Nabooru wished she could shed her heavy tears.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys........ it's been a while huh lol
> 
> so this year of college is over (yay!) and i have free time once again (double yay!) 
> 
> it's a double update (15 & 16! yay!) so i hope ya'll can forgive me for taking so long lol. we're getting closer and closer to the fun stuff..... yay.... 
> 
> anyway, hope ya'll enjoy! your comments mean the world to me <3

Zelda, after being in the desert for nearly six months, was use to naps at noon. It was the time when the heat was the worse and the only activity anyone was comfortable with was lounging and sleeping. Of course, with only her and the Beast the only ones who were actually effected by the brutal sun, she often found herself seeking out his company. He was usually asleep in a small sitting room with a large open doorway to the outdoors. It was a bleak view and she never understood why he always chose that spot to rest, but she wouldn’t question it.   
She laid on her stomach and let out a deep sigh. The wind rustled her hair slightly and shifted the chiffon drapery of her clothing. Nabooru was constantly providing Zelda with new and comfortable clothing for this harsh climate. 

Beside her, the Beast rumbled a pleased sigh of his own as he arched his back. He rested her massive head on one hand and stared down at Zelda with one golden eye. Her skin was such a lovely sight when covered with that slight sheen of sweat… 

“Zelda.” She blinked open her eyes and looked toward him. He flicked his ears in embarrassment. “I… would like to take you somewhere. Tomorrow.” 

She smiled at him and rolled until her side was directly beside him, her supple skin pressed against his caped body. He wanted to shy away but at the same time, hold her close. He hated this cursed form of his! Her eyes twinkled up at him. “I cannot wait for tomorrow then.” 

He lowered his hand from being a prop for his chin to instead drape over Zelda oh-so carefully. Her eyes shut in contentment, her lips a gentle grin. He lowered his own head until it reached the soft pillows below and his own eyes shut, a happy rumble in his chest. 

-

King Daphnes stared out his massive window, cheeks gaunt and eyes dark. It had been long enough, he thought to himself, since the Beast had stolen the heir to his throne. It was time. 

He stared out the window for a few more moments before he clasped his hands together. They were shaking. Behind him, he listened to the shift of armor. “It is time,” Daphnes spoke. “Go find Impa and my Champion.” Behind him, a Hylian footsoldier saluted the king. 

Daphnes waited until the door creaked shut that he ran his fingers over his sleeve – directly below the fabric was the smallest scar imaginable. Zelda, his sweet daughter, had done absolute stunning work in healing him. He was left with virtually no blemishes except this small, small scar… a reminder, he thought bitterly to himself, of failing to protect his daughter.  
Nearly ten minutes went by before the doors to this private office were opened again and the distinct sound of heavy boots walked across the floor. “My king,” Impa greeted, “You have called for us?” 

Daphnes turned around with grim eyes. “Round up the finest you have Impa. Link,” the blond warrior in armor beside the slender woman stood stiffer at the sound of his name. “Be ready. You have a special part to play.” 

And finally, the fight was ready to begin.


	16. Chapter 16

_She was standing in a crowded market under the makeshift awnings of various bright fabrics. Gerudo women and children jostled her around. She stared in amazement – these women were massive! Leagues taller than her, muscular and all happy. She had never seen a Gerudo in person… The vendors yelled and chatted with enthusiasm. Children laughed and raced around the legs of the women. Zelda watched as a child with a long braid chased a lizard through the legs of a woman with a spear._

_Where was she? “This is a Gerudo marketplace.” Zelda whipped around and her breath was stolen at the woman before her. This woman was taller than the rest and extremely beautiful. Zelda blushed. Her long red hair brushed the back of her calves and her golden drapery left a breast exposed in tasteful fashion. Her gleaming eyes spoke her amusement. “I am intrigued by you, young one. Your father is a king, is he not? You are a princess?”_

_Zelda blinked in confusion. The crowd of women did not seem fazed by this woman or Zelda. In fact, the noise they were making had dimmed to near nothing, but they all continued to move and their mouths spoke. Zelda nervously looked back to the woman. She seemed to glow. “Y-Yes…”_

_The woman grinned. “How perfect then. A princess for the prince himself. You might have been the perfect one after all.” Zelda went to question the woman but the woman had already raised a hand to silence her. “I did not come here to answer your questions. I only came to see your heart. Now let’s look, shall we?” Before Zelda could react, the woman had her hand pressed against Zelda’s chest. She blushed. The woman’s eyebrows quirked up. “Interesting… It seems you are already chosen by my sister Nayru…” Zelda wanted to step back. This woman… who was she?_

_The woman’s lips quirked up. “You are quite chatty up in that wise head of yours.” Zelda blushed. “Let me answer that for you.” She removed her hand and Zelda could move again. “I am Din. Surely you know my name.”_

_Zelda gasped. Of course she knew who Din was! One of the Golden Goddesses! The creator of the lands, sands, and mountains. Din grinned and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re rather cute, you know that? I can see how you won him over so easily.” The Goddess laughed. “If you weren’t Nayru’s, I would make you a priestess of mine.”_

_Zelda blushed even more, if possible. Din’s eyes quickly shifted from Zelda to something behind her. “Well, well. He sure grew to be a handsome man. Wouldn’t you agree, little one?”_

_Zelda turned, and for the third time in this dream, had her breath stolen away. A man – a Gerudo man! – towered over the women of the market. He was gorgeous…! His flaming hair was pushed back and over his shoulder like a wild mane. His beard framed his handsome and unique face._

_Over the crowd of women that went to greet him, his eyes met hers - molten gold that burned with so much emotion she felt her heart in her throat. “It’s time to wake up now,” Din mused behind her. “He’ll be there for you, so don’t go worrying.” Again, Din reached forward and Zelda continued to lock eyes with this handsome man as her heart raced. He locked confused only for a moment before his face lit up with recognition. His lips – handsome, plush lips – formed the vowels of her name and he began to push the women away, frantic. Zelda took a step forward, but in that instance, Din placed her hand over Zelda’s eyes and leaned close to her ear. “Wake now.”_

Zelda gasped and sat up in her bed. She stumbled from her sheets and grasped her chest. It felt as if her heart was about to burst through! It was only a dream, yet she couldn’t shake that what she saw (who she met!) was far from just imagination. 

She was shaken and didn’t even think as her feet led her out of the room and into the dark halls. A few of the guards roamed carelessly and casually greeted her. It wasn’t uncommon for her to wander so late in the night. She politely greeted them as well, but never paused in her trek. 

She took the stairs slowly and wandered the always empty hall to his room with little nervousness. He was still awake no doubt. He was a creature of habit like her – he liked to prowl the desert at night, but would always return toward midnight. She knocked lightly and waited. After a moment, a gruff growl worked its way from behind the thick wood. She pushed it open and smiled. 

He was curled like a lion in his massive bed, cape discarded for once. His presence seemed even more threatening without it, yet she felt no fear. She carefully made her way to him and climbed into the bed. He watched her with an amused golden eye. “Oh? Couldn’t resist any longer?” 

She elbowed him gently before sinking into the pillows and blankets, curled up in his side. He blinked. “A nightmare?” He ventured softly, the raspy quality of his voice amplified by his tiredness. 

She pressed her face into him and sighed. “No, not at all. Just… wanted to be near you.” She couldn’t see his face at her angle and missed the complete shock written on it. She wanted to sleep beside him with no real reason? 

He laid still until she was situated comfortably. He slowly raised on heavy arm and shifted his own body until he was curled around her with his arm gently resting on her waist. She smiled.

He listened to her heartbeat and breathing until he was sure she was asleep. Once she was, he began to purr in contentment. Both had the best sleep of their lives.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wassup lads! so i think this story is going to come to a wrap in oh... 2-3 more chapters? i've had a really fun time writing it but it's getting toward the end...! 
> 
> this definitely won' be my last zelgan story tho omg! i love the two of them together very much, so look forward to some more ganondorf and zelda in the future! 
> 
> alright, i hope ya'll enjoy this chapter!

The desert heat was the normal for Zelda at this point. The sound of the sand as the wind shifted it was also something she had grown used to. The feel of his thick fur was also something she took familiar comfort in. He had her on his back as they trekked into the desert that morning while the sun still rose at its lazy, languid pace.

Before they had gone, Zelda was given a pack of water and jerky by Nabooru – the journey would probably take the entire day. The Beast could hunt and eat whatever he found in the dunes, but Zelda wasn’t willing to eat anything raw. She saw nothing wrong with the Beast eating in that manner anymore. That itself had shocked him. 

A soft breeze shifted the shawl thrown over her form. Although she had gotten use to the deadly sun, her skin wasn’t built to endure it for an extended amount of time. Nabooru had supplied her with a nearly full length shawl that left only her rosy face and hands out if she wanted them to be. Her bare feet dangled and her hands gently massaged his ever shifting shoulder blades. He hadn’t told her where their destination was yet, but she trusted him with any decisions he made. He had become her closest friend since she had been bartered off to him (“Became my esteemed guest,” he would bite back when she would teasingly bring it up) and could say with confidence she would be torn if she was to leave him. 

His cape was wrapped neatly around his neck and Zelda still found it odd to look upon him when he wasn’t half hidden in the dark cloth. His body was massive and threatening – he was the embodiment of power in that very sense. He wore pants too oddly. They were torn and ugly things, but still pants. “For modesty’s sake,” he had grumbled when she questioned it, “you Hylians are offended by anything that even hints at nudity.” 

He huffed under her and stopped to stretch. She slid off without a word, hand never leaving the thick fur of his body. “I can walk,” she argued softly for what felt like the hundredth time. “I can wrap my feet and be done with it-“ 

“Hush,” he scowled, “where we are going, you mustn’t wear shoes. I told you this. It’s disrespectful.” Zelda sighed and he peered down at her with a glint in his eyes. “Besides, you weigh near nothing.” Zelda smiled at him with a laugh. 

“Ever the flatter,” she teased and peered to the east. That was the direction they had been traveling in. The sun was a glimmer against the dunes yet that small sliver was enough to warrant thick cloth for protection. “How long will this journey take?” She asked as he stood to his full height to crack his spine. Her hand traveled along his side as he moved. 

He scratched under his jaw with his claws. “The sun will be full in the sky by the time we make it,” he grunted. He dropped back down onto all fours with a sigh of relief. It was getting more and more painful to stand on his hind legs – he was more animal in form each and every day. Without his Zelda, he had no doubt his mind would be more beast than… well, him. “Now get on. The longer we stand around, the higher the sun goes.”

He helped her up with one paw and as soon as she was situated, he stretched one more time. She clung tight as he arched his spin, which forced her to lay against his back. He took a moment of small pleasure at her closeness. He peered over at her and grinned. “Hold tight.” 

She grinned back and grasped on with all her might. Her squeal of surprise filled his heart with nothing but joy when he took off with speed across the dunes. The journey they took would not take long with his speed.   
-  
The sun was just about in the middle of the sky when the Beast rocked to a stop. Zelda nearly went tumbling over his head if not for his quick movements to stop her and instead steady her. “We are here,” he growled with a puff of breath. He had ran nearly the entire way here, only taking short and quick breaks in between for Zelda to give him a cup of water. 

Zelda peered at the sand. There was… nothing. She made to slide off but he stopped her with a soft sound. “Stay on my back,” he mumbled softly, “just for a while longer.” 

“Of course,” she replied and continued to look for something as he began to walk again. Once he drew closer to the side of a certain dune, her eyes light up. A sandstone door, blended so well with the sand around it, was imbedded in the side of the dune. No doubt the structure had been covered over in this wasteland by the ever churning winds.

He peered at her momentarily before he slid it open with one paw and slipped into the darkness of the hall. The door slid behind them on its own and suddenly, ghostly blue light filtered began to show the hall as her eyes adjusted. Runes alone the length of the hall bled that eerie blue and cast a calming blue on everything. 

She said nothing, but instead clung to his back and stared at everything. His steps echoed as they went on for what felt like forever until finally, they reached a set of massive doors. “Where…?” Zelda whispered quietly to him, not really expecting an answer. 

He said nothing and instead gently took her from his back. His arms lingered around her for a tad longer than usual as he took in the sight of her awed face. She was truly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen… He helped her slip out of her shawl and watched as she folded it careful and stored it away in the bag she carried.

The door made no sound as he pushed it open with both hands. Zelda covered her mouth when she couldn’t hold back the gasp that left her. A giant room that glittered with that same blue light, only it was casted from the massive walls that were filled with images of stories beyond her understanding. The center of the room was a pathway and on both sides, still water reflected the blue light. It was shallow and a strange plant that looked like a lily pad floated on the untouched surface. A strange ivy like plant climbed the walls and covered the archaic language written beside the embossed images. What really stole her breath was the enormous magenta flame that burned on a pedestal at the far end of the room. 

“The altar room,” he murmured beside her with a gentle hand on her back. “This is where those who follow Din come to worship…” 

Zelda gasped again. Din! Of all the goddesses…! Of course! 

“That,” he bowed his head toward the bright fire, “is Din’s Flame. It has been burning without fuel for as long as history can remember. It is a gift of her undying love for her people.” Zelda suddenly felt like someone was watching and she had no doubt to who it was…

Din. The goddess who came to her in her dream, the goddess who has taken interest in her life. Zelda took a step forward hesitantly. He moved with her and she took another with more confidence. They quietly made their way to the pedestal and Zelda look on in awe. There was no heat from his fire. It was beautiful. The Beast fell to his knees before the fire and Zelda didn’t hesitate to do the same. 

It was quiet beside the crackling of the fire as he no doubt paid his respects and possibly even prayed to the Goddess. Zelda briefly wondered what he could possibly speak to with Din.

“I wish to tell you something Zelda.” His voice was small even as it echoed in the massive chamber. 

Zelda felt her heart in her throat suddenly, head still bowed to the flame. “…Oh?” 

He stood and when she dared look at him, he held a hand out her, face blank. “First, will you come with me?” 

She took his hand with a blush and he helped her to her feet. Without letting go of her hand, he led her to the left of the altar where a door was hidden in the shadows. It was a slow climb up the hidden staircase, but Zelda used that time to calm the emotions in her head and heart. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous, yet she did…!

Sunlight broke through at the top of the stairs and she covered her eyes with her spare hand. The ceiling was glass! Sand shifted over it with the push of wind, but the sun eagerly pushed through where it could. Colorful gauzy drapery hung from the ceiling as well to create awnings. It was achingly familiar to the busy marketplace of her dream. 

The room was nearly barren, but for the corner of dusty sitting pillows and the fountain of water there as well. It bubbled with no doubt cool, refreshing water. He stopped them in the middle of the room and gently took her other hand. 

She stared at him and felt relief at the nervousness she found in his own expression. She smiled softly at him. His ears flickered in embarrassment. “Zelda, I…” He paused to clear his throat. “will you dance with me?” He blurted out and she giggled at his rather blunt way of asking. 

“There is no music.” 

He looked confused for a moment and then suddenly, he winced at what she said processed. “Right, it was a foolish request-“ He went to drop her hands but her own grip tightened, effectively shutting him up. 

“I never said no,” she stated coyly, one eyebrow lifted. “I would love to dance with you, regardless of music.”

He watched with wide eyes as she slipped one of his massive paws onto her waist and tugged him with her other hand to take a step back with her. He huffed a laugh at her grin. “Do you know how to ballroom dance? I’m afraid that’s all I know.” 

He moved them on his own to the next step in the routine. “Of course I do.” She laughed and let him take the lead while she hummed some soft, undistinguishable tune under her breath. His ears tuned into the sound of her – her humming, her heartbeat, the sound of her bare feet on the ground. It made his chest warm. 

They danced for what felt like an eternity, but also only seconds. The sun had begun to move across the sky and it wasn’t until Zelda laid her head on his chest that they slowed to a stop. The calming comfort of just being with one another had both of them relaxed and dazed. They stood still and it was then, with her head against his broad chest, his back aching to return to all fours, the Beast knew what he had to do.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for such a long wait...! i could give you a whole list of excuses, but no one wants to hear that lol. so here u go! i hope u enjoy this chap, and look forward to the next chap... it'll be wrapping up really soon!! 
> 
> thank you all for sticking with me for so long <3 it means a lot to me!

They spoke little on the journey back. Instead, she hummed to him and he never spoke a word of complaint. When they arrived back at their home he took her to the gardens without letting her slide from his back. 

She laughed at him. “The journey ends?” His tongue felt heavy, his body shaky as he let her comforting presence leave his back. “I enjoyed every moment of it, you know.” Her hands slipped under his jaw and forced his gaze to hers. When he said nothing, her joyous expression turned to confusion. “…What’s wrong?”

He rose to his hind legs and slid one of her hands into his paw. She said nothing as he led her toward the cursed rose bush – the damn thing that wilted away beside his fervent care. Two roses remained and both looked about ready to drop. He stopped before it and sighed. “Tell me the truth Zelda,” he murmured. She looked at him curiously, but he only glared at the dying flowers. “Are you happy here?”

She hesitated for only a moment, her small delicate fingers had squeezed his massive claws in thought. “I am. This… this has become home to me.” He felt his heart burst but quickly he beat that feeling of hope back down. 

“Do you wish to return to Hyrule? Back to your father?” She said nothing, but he knew the answer as he watched her jerk her head guiltily to the side, her nervous tic – chewing the inside of her bottom lip – had overcome her. He reached out and cupped her cheek with his other hand and she gazed back at him. “It is not wrong of you to want that. I…” Words faltered him again. Was he really going to do this? Her innocent eyes watched him and he could feel his mind locking up. He didn’t want to for his own selfish need, but for her… “I will allow you to leave. To go to your true home.” 

She stared up at him with an open mouth. He smoothed a claw over her bottom lip and she smiled. Her hands quickly moved to hug the as much of him as she could, her beautiful laugh making his stomach clench in love. This would be the last time he heard it…

He held her to him for as long as he could. 

-

They stood at the gate. It was time. Nabooru was to deliver Zelda back to her father along with all her belongs. The moon shone above them and gleamed off of Nabooru’s magnificent orange hued armor, but the warrior sat stiffly on the boar with Zelda in front of her. The Beast was nowhere to be seen. Zelda peered over her shoulder at the fort for what felt like the hundredth time, her lip between her teeth. 

“He should come with me…” she tried again, “I could show my father that he is not a monster…” 

Nabooru sighed. “It is no use. The Beast wants you to be happy. His presence would disrupt that.” 

Zelda frowned and stared at the fort while Nabooru urged the boar through the portal. She thought for just a moment she could see the faint form of her Beast on top of the fort against the pale moon over the fort. She didn’t want to leave him. Despite being his ‘prisoner’ for so long, she came to consider the fort home. She considered those empty suits of armor her friends. She considered him… 

What did she consider him? She suddenly wanted to jump off the boar – to run back and into his arms. She felt wrong leaving him behind. Why did she feel that? Even though she was going to return home to Hyrule, she would go and visit him as often as she could. She needed him in her life, as odd as that sounded. She clutched tight to Nabooru’s arm and with new conviction, opened her mouth to demand they turn back if only so she could hug him once more- 

Then, Nabooru urged the boar to move faster. It snorted and kicked up sand as he began moving at a faster pace. They travelled in silence for what felt like hours… Long enough that Zelda had began dozing off against her friend. 

She awoke when Nabooru gently nudged her. The crackle of dark magic echoed familiarly in the air and instantly made her think of the Beast. She frowned. “Come Zelda,” Nabooru urged, “Let us go to your father again.” Nabooru had set a portal and urged the boar through. 

The boar weaved through the achingly familiar streets. They had transported to the exact stop Zelda thought she would have last seen her father but now…! Now she could hug him again, see her sisters, and look upon Impa once more. She still wished to return to her Beast, but the idea of seeing all those from before had her smiling foolishly. 

As they trampled through the paths to the castle, Zelda noticed it was alarmingly… quiet. Zelda squeezed Nabooru’s arm again. “It seems devoid. I wonder if there is some sort of fest going on in the Castle Square.” 

Nabooru also seemed to notice how oddly quiet it was, even for a late night stroll, but spoke nothing about it. She was not familiar with Hyrule normally. 

They made it to a familiar servant’s door and both dismounted the boar. Zelda thanks the creature and Nabooru spoke to it in Gerudo, commanding it to stay put. Zelda eagerly pushed open the door to the servant’s quarters and was met with the sight of a few servants finishing up and preparing for bed. 

They all froze at the sight of the princess before breaking out into heartfelt sobs and shouts of joy. Zelda laughed as she was eagerly swarmed and embraced by the many familiar faces. “Hello to you all as well! It has been so long!”

“Your Highness, we were worried sick!”

“It has been so long!”

“So the King freed you! The Beast is dead!”

Zelda, once joyous at the love of her friends, instantly froze. Her smile disappeared, her arms dropped. Her mouth didn’t close and her eyes were wide in fear. At her sudden change, the servants backed off, but still huddled close. None paid mine to the suit of armor that was also frozen in the doorway. “E-Excuse me?” Zelda choked out. “What?”

One of the servants – a cook – nervously smiled. “It was rather quick! The King only left a couple days ago! We hadn’t expected any of you back for much longer…”

“Yes! We’re sorry to suddenly mention it,” another quipped, “It must have been quite traumatizing… forgive us, your Highness-“

“Stop!” Zelda yelled, which took the servants by surprise. Her hands shook as she wobbled on her feet, suddenly light headed and nauseous. “T-This… it can’t be!” Nabooru, swift as always, was beside the princess in an instant and held her carefully against her own self. Zelda looked close to a full out panic attack. “Nabooru,” she whispered with wide eyes. “We have to go back. Please.” 

Nabooru hesitated. “Zelda… he wanted you to be free of him. I will return, but you must stay-“

Suddenly, Zelda ripped herself from Nabooru’s arms, her face twisted into an angry and fearful expression despite the heavy tears that trickled from her eyes. “I will not stay! I cannot wait idly by while he could be executed on the spot!” She trembled and rubbed tears from her cheek. “I-If it was someone you treasured, someone you… you knew you couldn’t live without, would you sit back and wait while someone else went to their aid?!” 

Nabooru faltered. She knew how Zelda felt. It felt like forever ago when Din placed a curse on them and sealed all the warriors to their own armor and the children and domestic ladies to be nothing but desert wisps that haunt in the abandoned town behind the fort. She felt what Zelda felt. When she had watched her love’s terrified face as she was forced to a shadow of herself. It had been a moment of complete powerlessness that haunts Nabooru to this day. 

Nabooru grabbed Zelda’s hands in hers, and squeezed them tight. Zelda bit her lip. Behind them, the servants of the castle watched in unnerving silence. “I do Zelda. I do.” 

Zelda grinned a wobbly smile and nodded before turning to those behind them. They started to speak simultaneously, but Zelda rose a slender wrist. “Please do not worry for me – I will be back shortly, but for now, I must go and protect those I call family. Tell my sisters hello for me.”

And with that, Zelda turned on her heel and dashed out the door, Nabooru close behind her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zoo wee mama
> 
> sorry guys that it has been literal MONTHS since i updated lol lol lol 
> 
> um.... depression? that's my excuse . ANYWAY i really hope you enjoy this chapter!! i will be posting the next one like. within a few hours so stick with me!! after that, only the epilogue is left...!!

It was so well timed, he thought. Not even half an hour after he had sent his sweet Zelda off to return to her true home, that one of his trusted warriors bursted into the garden in a panic. “Across the dunes we’ve spotted troops coming for the fort! At least fifty of them…!” 

The Beast watched with tired eyes as the warrior shuffled in nervous energy. “So be it.” 

“What?! My Lord-!” 

“if they come for my head,” he growled, “it’s theirs. Maybe with my death, you will all be free again.”

The knight, once a strong lethal woman, swung her empty armored arms out. “My lord…! Please-!”

“Leave,” the Beast threatened lowly. “When they come for me, I don’t wish for you to be caught in the crossfire.” The knight didn’t move for a few moments but finally, shuffled out of the garden with a sense of determination. The knight was no fool – she knew the Beast was heartbroken and miserable, but she also knew that Zelda was bound to return. She just hoped it was soon because she saw how there was barely a flower left on that cursed plant.

She quickly made her way to where her sisters waited in the foyer, tense and ready for battle. They all turned to her with anticipation. With Nabooru gone, she was the next in the chain of command. “Or Lord is currently unfit to give commands,” she boomed, “so I will take his place. Take arms, sisters. We fight for our home tonight!” A cheer rose up, and the Gerudo felt like themselves once more.   
\--  
King Daphnes stared at the looming fortress as it lit up. No doubt they had been spotted. It wasn’t that he wanted to take the Beast by surprise either – he wanted it to come charging, so his champion would fell it easily. No use to play a game of cat and mouse. Best to get it over with quickly and rescue his daughter. The other soldiers were a precaution. He did not know what side the suits of armor would take.

“Lights are being lit,” Impa spoke beside him. Sure enough, what Daphnes recalled the main hall to be was now lit through the windows. “We’ve been spotted.” Daphnes nodded carefully. 

“Then we make an entrance.”   
\--  
Zelda clung to the crevices of Nabooru’s armor, her heart beating loud in her stomach as the boar stumbled through the portal. The urgency in which Nabooru had called upon the dark magic had warped them further than they would have liked, but the fortress was there. 

And it was under seize. Zelda whimpered at the sight of Hylian soldiers in the courtyard, the towering figures of the Gerudo armor at arms with them. “Hurry! To the side doors!” Nabooru nodded and steered the boar away from the courtyard and toward the abandoned gate entrance far behind the fortress and back toward the desolate town. 

“Here,” Nabooru grunted as she jerked the boar to a stop and jumped off. “Come-“ 

Zelda ignored Nabooru’s outstretched arms and leapt from the boars back. Nabooru felt time freeze for a moment as Zelda passed her. The princesses face was set in pure determination, her brows furrowed in an expression Nabooru had never seen in any incarnation. It spurred an ache in her chest that filled her with something akin to hope. The princess, once an enemy and ill-omen of the end of their king, was now a beacon of hope in the darkness that had become her life. The princess radiated the power that only came with the will of love.   
\--  
The Beast found himself away from the garden and on the balcony of his chambers. He could hear the commotion in the halls of the fort, but he knew his warriors were unkillable in their forms. They could fall, yes, but they would only be stunned. Death could not come to them, but he most certainly could be harmed beyond repair. So he waited. 

He had always known deep in his mind that the king would not just sit still. It was only a matter of time before the foolish man sent soldier to fight for their princess. He hadn’t expected so soon though, but he waited for his killer to arrive. 

He wondered if it would be the Hero of Courage, or possibly one of those annoying Sheikah brats. Regardless, he was prepared. This cycle had brought nothing but pain and sorrow onto him and his people… the only joy that had been granted to him was in the form of someone he once called an enemy. And now she was gone, most likely never to return to her prison. 

He sighed, eyes closed and head bowed. Maybe with his death, Din’s curse would be lifted from his family. 

The door thumped into the wall behind him, and the Beast could instantly sense the raw energy that defined Courage. So, this is how he would go. He turned, eyes opened and partially lidded. The Hero stood there, sword in hand and face slick with sweat and grime. This reincarnation bore an aching familiar to the boy that always seemed to carry Courage with his blond hair and sharp blue eyes. 

“I am to guess you are the one who’s going to slay me? Be my guest.” The boy watched him with a cautious gaze, his shield lifted in such a way that meant he expected an attack. The Beast snorted. “Fear not. Just do your job, brat. I have no desire to draw this out.” 

The warrior was cautious but stepped forward, his eyes trained on the Beast. The Beast slumped back down and the warrior raised his sword with another step. And another. And another-

The Beast growled when the warrior lowered his sword with a scowl and shake of his head. “What? Your honor keep you from slaying me?” The boy nodded slowly, and made a few gestures with his occupied hands. Ah, this boy was mute. Much like those of the past. It seemed courage always chose those who would not boast so loudly of their deeds. “Is it because I do not fight back?” The boy nodded again. The Beast sighed. “Very well. Let us begin then.” 

Now the Beast stood slowly and swished his cape behind him. He cut an imposing figure as he stood tall, despite the ache and pain along his back. He was too animal to stand like men anymore. “Come now, hero. Let us end this.” 

\--

Zelda had found herself out of breath from her search. It was hard to avoid the fight and clash of metal around her, but she had done a rather good job of keeping out of sight. The wall she leaned on to catch her breath was cool against her sweat slicked skin. Her stomach hurt – the phantom pain of runner cramps made her slightly nauseous. She had to keep looking. She had too…! 

“This way, child,” a voice murmured from the top of the stairs. Zelda whipped her head up and her eyes nearly bugged out at the sight. Din. Her hair blew in a phantom breeze, her face set with what could only be described as worry. “He is faced with his natural enemy. I fear the worse. Only you can stop this now.” 

“Wh… What?” Zelda panted, but her feet moved regardless. Din led her slowly through the winding halls and staircases, but Zelda soon found herself in a familiar hall – one that led straight to the Beast’s chambers. “Is he there?! Is he okay-“

“Hurry,” Din cut in, her image already fading. “It is nearly the end for him. Go and save that foolish man.” Zelda dashed down the hall with renewed energy. The heavy wooden door creaked as she opened it, and she fell into the room with no grace. She looked around wildly, but found the room barren. Where…?!

A tug in her heart had her eyes move to the balcony. No. He hadn’t fallen had he…?! She rushed over while her legs shook with the exertion. She fumbled on the rail and looked down, only to gasp and put her hand over her mouth. He was there, alive, but he clutched his massive arm as blood dripped onto the stone beneath him. Across from him on the ledge was a figure Zelda could never forget. 

“Link, stop!” She cried out, which had both heads whip up to her. Link’s eyes were wide in confusion and confliction, but the Beast… her heart roared with an emotion she was scared to name. The Beast looked at her with such admiration and astonishment, such raw adoration, that Zelda’s knees felt weak. “Please Link! Lay down your sword! Do not hurt him!” 

The warrior hesitated with his sword still poised to land another strike, but her words seemed to only slow him. She knew Link was fiercely loyal to her father – he had been taken in and given a home and hope by the king when he was nothing but a child. “Link-!” She screamed again, a sob torn from her throat as the soldier brought his sword down with a grim face. 

The hit never landed, for the Beast was rallied by Zelda. She returned. She ran back for him. With new cause, the Beast grabbed the flat of the sword with his calloused paw, the sting of the blade nothing more than a scrap to him. He growled as he rose on tired legs, his face contorted with his snarl. Link blinked in confusion, but was not fast enough to avoid the Beast’s counter attack. 

The massive arm shoved him hard and fast which sent Link clear into the wall. He slumped down dazed at the impact. Zelda watched with teary eyes, her heart in her throat as the Beast turned to look at her from below. “B-Beast…!” 

His heart soared in his chest and despite the blood that flowed from his wounds and the throb of his arm, he used those mighty claws to find purchase on the wall. He climbed. She leaned over the edge, her hand outstretched, the smile present on her face despite the tears. Once he was within reach, her delicate hand grabbed his and pulled him closer to the ledge. The Beast purred as she hugged him tight around the neck, her sobs lost within his fur. 

“Zelda…” He murmured as he pulled away, the hand not clasped on the balcony rail reached up to brush a lock of hair from her face. “You came back.” 

Her smile, bright through her tears, made him feel alive again. She laughed a little and moved to press her forehead to his. His purring stuttered a little, but he eagerly accepted. “Zelda, I-“ 

The twang of a bow shattered the moment between them. An arrow, with its bright red fletching all too familiar to Zelda. The Beast grunted, his strength gone as the head of the arrow angled perfectly through his pectoral and close to his heart. Just over Zelda’s shoulder. The mark of a true archer. 

“No. No!” Zelda cried as she scrabbled to find purchase on his cape and fur. But he was too heavy, and his lack of strength made it too hard to hold him up. His eyes – so golden – rolled back and he slipped from her fingers. She screamed as he fell freely, and crashed right through the glass ceiling of the garden.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here it is. the final chapter... 
> 
> well, almost final chapter. i still have the epilogue to write, but i've kept you all waiting long enough lol.

Zelda turned on her heel in hysterics, mind set on one goal. Get to him. Get to him before it’s too late. 

She stopped almost immediately at the person that stood between her and the exit, bow still drawn. Impa. Zelda felt rage, and then sadness, and finally, betrayal. “How could you?” She whispered, voice all but cracking at every syllable. “He was defenseless. He did nothing!”   
Impa looked shocked as well, for she clearly had not expected to see the face of her princess as the one who had stood between her and the Beast. Why would she defend the thing that had kept her captive? “Princess- I don’t understand-“ 

Zelda did not speak, but she took off and dashed by Impa, who still stood immobile. Zelda did not stop, even when the one she once trusted with her life desperately called after her. She did not need Din to guide her now. She knew exactly where the Beast’s garden waited with its glass walls and sweet air. 

She came to the room where she once dined with the Beast and chatted with the armor. It was a battle ground, but she paid no mind to the faces that turned to her. She did not even heed when her father cried out her name. Instead, she easily danced around the battle to another staircase, light as ever on her feet. 

The arched doors of the garden loomed before her in no time at all, and she shoved them open with every ounce of strength in her being. The creaked open and she bursted through. She heard the steady stream of water being supplied into the water trough, or perhaps it was the blood rushing through her veins? – and the crunch of broken glass beneath her bare feet. She winced, but did not falter. The hole in the ceiling was nearly above her-

She cried out, and dropped to her knees at his side. “Beast, Beast, oh please no!” She grabbed onto the sides of his face and shook him. “Wake up! You cannot die!” 

He groaned and she cried even more in relief. He winced in terrible pain, his eyes opened slowly, only to see his only love above him. “Zelda… Zelda…” 

“Yes, I am here…! Please, stay awake for me.” She did not let her eyes stray to the arrow or the sticky blood that bubbled up from the wound. “You’re going to be fine, alright? I’m here now.” 

He sighed, one massive paw already raised to touch her cheek. She used one of her own hands to hold his steady against her, her smile soft. “You came back.” 

“Of course I did!” She whispered with a small hiccup. “If only I got back sooner, then-“  
He coughed, and she winced at the speckle of blood that splattered against her. “…Maybe… it’s better this way,” he breathed while his hand shook in hers. 

“Don’t talk like that!” She snapped. “You’ll be alright! We’re together now…!” 

He harrumphed deep in his chest and with the last of his strength, used his one hand to pull her toward his forehead. That golden jewel was cool against her skin. “At least… I got to see you… one last time.” 

She cried out and buried her face into the fur of his neck as his body went limp in her embrace. “No!” She sobbed, “Please, no!” Her shoulders shook with the power of her sobs, her arms tight around his neck. “Please, don’t go…! I love you!” 

Behind her, on a bush with drooped green leaves, the last petal of the cursed flower fell. 

“Please,” she whispered into his neck, the fur there soaked by her tears. “I can’t lose you. Not when I’ve given you my heart.”

“You will not lose him, dear child,” a voice murmured before her. Zelda slowly lifted her head from the Beast’s neck, but her arms still help him close. There stood Din, but she was now corporal. A solid presence that emitted holy power. She looked down at them in pity, her brows drawn in sadness. “You have freed him from this cursed existence.” 

“Please, he can’t be dead, I can’t-“

“He is not dead,” Din cut in, “but he is close. Release him.” Zelda hesitated, her face froze in fear. If she let go, she was sure he would positively cease to be. Yet, the goddess demanded it. She slowly let him go and instead, held herself. Din stepped forward and the glass melted into liquid beneath her feet. The woman towered over Zelda even when she too kneeled to place her hands around the protruding arrow. “He has been cursed by my hand for his ignorance, and now, with a heart reborn by the grace of one as pure as sunlight, I shall lift the curse and return those effected back to they once were.” 

Din removed her hands, along with the arrow, to reveal a woundless chest. Then, his chest began to change. Zelda watched in fascination as his entire being began to recede into a smaller form, but one that still towered over her. Paws, once clawed and padded, morphed into hands with thick callouses. Feet that once bore cloven hooves lost their rigidness and became large, flat feet. The face of a boar, that had struck fear into the hearts of many, lost its tusks and long snout to become that of a handsome man, and Zelda gasped. 

She remembered this face. He was the one from her dream so long ago in that sunny marketplace. The man who caught her eye and tried to get to her now laid peacefully before her, nearly naked if not for the pants that hung loose on his frame. 

Din sat on her knees, face passive as she stared down at the newly transformed man. “He had hurt the legacy of my Power with his arrogance for eons, throughout many incarnations. He may not forgive me for the action I took against him, but perhaps one day, he will understand why.” She turned her eyes to Zelda. “My dear, you have declared your love for him when he was in the ugly shape his heart had been. You have changed that. If your heart has not faltered in its love, kiss him.” 

Zelda stared at him still, but she listened intently to Din. Then, she placed her hands on his jawline, the soft beard of red hair weaved between her fingers. She leaned closer, her heart a flutter. This was him – this was the Beast she had fallen for, against all odds. 

She pressed against him lips, her eyes shut. It felt like she kissed fire, for the rush of power that ran through her was a roar she had not expected. She did not pull back, but pressed harder, brows furrowed. He would awaken, and when he did, she would kiss him again and again and again until she no longer felt the lingering pain of his near death.

His lips responded against hers and massive hands came up to cup the back of her head with uncertain fingers. She drew away for air and her eyes fluttered open. He watched her with half lidded eyes, his lips curled in a soft smile. “Zelda.”

“Beast-“ 

“Ganondorf. My name… is Ganondorf,” he croaked, thick fingers already weaved into her hair. “I have longed to tell you it.” 

She laughed as tears brimmed in her eyes once again. “Ganondorf. I love you.” 

He purred, his bare chest a rumble beneath her. “And I love you, Zelda.” They kissed again as Din chuckled beside them. The goddess shut her eyes and lifted her hands. 

“The curse is lifted, my children. May the future be bright and please, do not invoke my wrath again.”


End file.
